UC Irvine UC Irvine Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title The Emotional is Political: Analyzing Listening Practices of ‘Internationals’ in Peacebuilding Partnerships Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2vk8g270 Author Johansson, Pernilla Publication Date 2018 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE The Emotional is Political: Analyzing Listening Practices of ‘Internationals’ in Peacebuilding Partnerships DISSERTATION submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in Political Science by Pernilla Johansson Dissertation Committee: Professor Cecelia Lynch, Chair Associate Professor Bronwyn Leebaw Associate Professor Keith Topper Professor Francesca Polletta 2018 © 2018 Pernilla Johansson DEDICATION To Kevin, Jonathan, and Vanja Who lived as if it matters “And somewhere between the time you arrive and the time you go May lie a reason you were alive but you’ll never know” Jackson Browne, For a Dancer ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS iv CURRICULUM VITAE vii ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION x CHAPTER 1: The Listening Puzzle 1 CHAPTER 2: Emotions Matter 47 CHAPTER 3: Positive Emotions 88 CHAPTER 4: Can the Subject (Learn to) Listen? 155 CHAPTER 5: The Emotional is Political 224 REFERENCES 264 iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are so many people I want to thank for being there through this process that it may look silly. Still, I know I will forget some – if that’s you, let me buy you a beer next time. First, I would like to thank all the people who participated in the research through interviews, observations, or informal talks about their work and views of peacebuilding and partnerships. Without you, no project. It feels strange not to name each person but be sure I know who you are, and I hope to continue our conversations. All the colleagues and partners I met at Kvinna till Kvinna provided the inspiration for the dilemmas I chose to study while in grad school, and the feminist and labor movements brought about the laws that enabled me to go there. I would like to thank my dissertation committee: Cecelia Lynch, Bronwyn Leebaw, Francesca Polletta, and Keith Topper. Cecelia always managed to hawk-eye some slip-up where I got carried away by problem-solving, and, frustratingly, to win most of the battles over who would pay for coffee. Her willingness to ‘trust the process’ has pushed me to move beyond old fears. Bronwyn has had me holding my breath for her feedback on my writing since she tore apart that first grant application in razor-sharp, yet oddly kind and encouraging fashion. She is the most radical listener I have met in academia. Francesca’s voice, insisting I ‘show what difference it makes,’ echoed in my head throughout my analyses and her readiness to always entertain yet another possible explanation is a challenge I’m happy to take up. Keith’s love of theory and frighteningly precise mental archive have opened up a world of reading I did not have access to before – and he reassured me I don’t have to choose between Pierre and Michel. I can’t wait to read his coming Bourdieu-book! Other faculty and staff at UCI provided much-needed encouragement over the years. Thanks to Scott Bollens (vulnerability!), Maria Bermudez (fearless flair!) Graeme Boushey (Swedish indie!), Shani Brasier (all that food!), Tomas Figueroa (NSF calculations!), Paula Garb (practice matters!), Jeff Kopstein (positivist questioning!), Kristen Monroe (ethics lunch!), John Sommerhauser (all those friendly e-mails!), and of course Claudia Cheffs, Andrew Hallak, and Liz Nguyen who now run the department in the most upbeat and helpful manner. Thanks also to the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding, the Center on Global Peace and Conflict, and the Newkirk Center for Science and Society who funded my research travels. Thanks also to scholars at other institutions whose willingness to grab a coffee or answer an e- mail was encouraging in times of doubt: Linda Åhäll and Tom Gregory (emotions-how-to!), Jelisaveta Blagojević (Foucault – i sve, draga!), Sean Diament (pop and rants!), Erika Forsberg (ethics dilemmas!), Berit Bliesemann de Guevara (Saturnus!), Siba Grovogui (who asked ‘why do you think you’re an outsider?’), Aiko Holvikivi (dark side!), Stefanie Kappler (reflexivity!), Elina Penttinen (who told me to get all my ducks in a row, quickly!), Anna Leander (Vurma chat!), Jennifer Ramos (who said the nicest no), Isak Svensson (matching ties!), and Annick Wibben (who got me to Gregynog!). Thanks to everyone at Gregynog 2016 and 2017, especially to Andrew Davison, Jenny Edkins, Himadeep Muppidi, Sam Opondo, Erzebet Strauss, and Andreja Zevnik for providing that unique space, and to Anna Hammarstedt, Gosia Polanska, and Sabrina Villanueva, for filling it with friendship. The colleagues at the Swedish Institute for International Affairs saved me from going nuts during fieldwork by friendly corridor chats and iv critical paper input, particularly Costan Barzanje, Astrid Benkö, Niklas Bremberg, Veronika Elebäck, Tom Lundborg (!), Johanna Mannergren Selimovic, Nicola Nymalm, Mark Rhinard, and Gunilla Reischl. During my two weeks at the University of Manchester, a shocking number of people took time to meet with me, thanks to: Martin Coward (who got me in!), Jess Gifkins, Cristina Masters, Laura McLeod, Aoileann Ní Mhurchú, Véronique Pin-Fat, Jasmin Ramović, Birte Vogel, and Maja Zehfuss. Grad school would have been a lonely endeavor without the supportive environment among the political science graduate students at UCI, whose engagement is best characterized as “tough love” (my favorite). Many also became friends outside of school and invited us into their families for beach visits, Thanksgiving, wedding tacos, and rooftop parties. Particularly, the first two years, Melanie Masud (‘just write it already’) and John Emery (‘no, complicate it more’) kept me in the program through our writing group, and the last two years Stacey Liou (food! bikes! kardemummabullar!) and Tiffany Williams (Atlanta! SF! Puppies everywhere!) were my constant companions on and off-line. Melanie, Stacey, and Tiffany are not only the best friends but also incredibly critical and generous editors whom I would recommend to any writer trying to get any argument across. Fellow interpretivists Carrie Reiling (telling it like it is!), Tanya Schwarz (Vegas! Coachella! crisis mentoring!), and Marcos Scauso (‘this is my corner’!) generously shared any advice I asked for and much more. Thanks also to Mark Berlin (job talk idol!), Brian Denny (early drive! late yoga!), Shauna Gilloly (finding the bar!), Elham Kazemi (buying the drink!), Alex Hodge-Wallis (the heart! the owl!), Misbah Hyder (writing dates!), Misty Knight-Finley (grading dates!), Josh Malnight (orals prep!), Mary Anne Mendoza (keeping it real!), Graham Odell (bbq bs!), Alex Raleigh (bad habits!), and Ryan Sauchelli (any conversation, really!). Outside of the department, John McCollum, Nandita Badami and Anirban Nigam were always fun to run into and hang out with. Nicola Bagić was the best flatmate for two years and not only taught me how to back into our narrow parking space (it’s the mirrors, everyone!) but also all I needed to know about capitalism. Friends outside of school – I missed you! Some were particularly involved in the dissertation by providing input or housing, drinks or distraction. This is such a puny recognition, but thanks to Brandon and Camille Bien for all the excursions we did and wanted to do; Sara Lhådö and Christina Wassholm for all those cigarettes; Åse Richard for all the talks; Åsa Forsman, Yllka Soba, and Maja Stajčić for homes away from home; Monica Nordenwald for long and Jöran Ramhällen for short neurotic fika:s; Maya Forstater for drinks with a view(!); Göran Hemberg for going to Nixon’s house with me; Ida Udović for the practice interview; Patrik Edstedt and Helena Kaarle for our Christmas travels and Hornstull hangouts, and Jan Barrish, Tara Motevalli, and Lena Levin for – well, let’s pick that poetry night; Markus Larsson and Ulrik Janusson for our book club which made me read something else; and to Hanna Fägerlind, Susanne Gräslund, Lena (again), Malin Strid, and Maja Åberg, for 18 years of feminist dinners which kept me inspired. Finally, thanks to zn and scream for still dragging me to bars and music festivals. My families have seen a lot of my hunched back and heard a lot of ‘sorries’ these years. Thanks to all the Bergström-Grip:s for allowing me to read and reread Bourdieu while the rest of you were sightseeing on our vacations in San Francisco, Nordmaling, and all over Italy. And thanks to Anita and Assar Johansson, Carina Burman, Jesper Johansson and Alexandra Alm, for making v the trip across the Atlantic just to see me on stage in a square hat. We would all feel awkward if I tried to say more, so: thank you. Speaking of awkward, none of this would have happened if it hadn’t been Martin’s turn to pick a place (I picked Kosovo). And Martin, it’s basically your own fault – if you’d only let me become an OC housewife (I had pink sandals and everything) none of your lonely so-called holidays (‘I can’t, I’m reading!’), cozy Friday nights (‘I can’t, I’m writing!’), or puppy-raising (‘I can’t, I’m off to Nairobi again!’) would have had to happen. For all of it, thanks. I can’t believe my luck. vi CURRICULUM VITAE Pernilla Johansson Education University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA Ph.D., Political Science, June 2018 Concentrations: International Relations, Political Theory University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA M.A., Political Science, June 2016 University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden B.A., Peace and Conflict Studies, January 2013 University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden. M.Sc., International Economics and Business Administration, May 1997 Research Publications “Feeling for the Game: How Emotions Shape Listening in Peacebuilding Partnerships.” E- International Relations, May 17, 2017.