The ‘War and Emotions’ Conference and Exhibition was held on Friday 25 March 2022 from 12:45PM at the University Aula, Muséplass 1, Bergen, Norway.

War and conflict are ongoing around the world. The devastating and emotional aspects of war and soldiering are highlighted once again through the unfolding war and deteriorating humanitarian situation in Ukraine.

This conference explored the emotions of war from the perspective of those who fight. In particular, how are emotions turned into weapons of war? What are the emotional dynamics of killing on the battlefield? What are the seductive and desirable qualities of war?

It is only by taking the wide array of sensations and emotions into account that we will be equipped to understand how war blurs the boundaries between the extraordinary and the ordinary and to foresee the long-term effects of war on those who practice it.

The conference featured guest lectures by Antonius Robben (Utrecht University), Victoria Basham (Cardiff University) and Siniša Malešević (University College Dublin).

Please find the conference program here.

Exhibition

The ‘War and Emotions’ exhibition included commissioned paintings by local Norwegian artist Trine Berntsen, photographs by Italian photojournalist Livio Senigalliesi and researchers in the field, and artefacts from a school project.

This event was hosted as part of the ‘War and Fun: Reconceptualizing Warfare and Its Experience‘ research project funded by the European Research Council and led by Research Professor Antonio De Lauri at the Chr. Michelsen Institute.