Developing emotional geographies: grounding theory and practice in feeling

Emotional geographies examine how feelings shape, and are shaped by, space, place and power. Drawing on humanistic, feminist and non-representational traditions, this chapter explores how emotions are central to geographical research and knowledge production. It traces the development of emotional geography through key methodological innovations and turns that have prioritised emotion as both subject and mode of research. Emphasis is placed on reflexivity, ethics of care and decolonial approaches, positioning emotions as relational and politically charged. Central to emotional geography is a commitment to attentive, responsible, and situated methodologies that respond to the emotional complexity of the world. In the chapter we highlight how emotional geography challenges dominant scientific norms by valuing lived experience, affective knowledge, and inclusive research practices. With growing interest in qualitative, creative and digital methods across the social sciences and humanities, we show how emotional geography offers powerful tools for exploring emotional worlds. This agenda-setting chapter positions emotional geographies at the forefront of methodological innovation and ethical research design, making it a key resource for scholars working across interdisciplinary fields, including human geography, sociology, anthropology and digital humanities.