In 6 groups of 3-4 people each, complete your assigned question and prepare to report to the class:

1. Groups 1 and 6: According to Ahmed, “emotions move sideways (through ‘sticky’ associations between signs, figures, and objects) as well as backward. . .by reopening past associations that allow some bodies to be read as the cause” of “our” emotions (120). Explain how this forward and backward movement works to create an “us” and a “them,” using a different example than the ones she mentions.
2. Groups 2 and 4: On page 126-128, Ahmed says fear is not shared in the scenario she’s explicating (it’s not a contagion, as Brennan would have it) but instead works to differentiate the black and white bodies, drawing on fear’s backward movement. Explain.
3. Groups 3 and 5: How does she say identification (consolidation of an“us”) and differentiation (consolidation of a “them”) worked in the aftermath of 9/11 in this country? (Especially pages 128-132).

Report out.