Abstract
Navigating the complexities of nowadays cultural and political landscapes requires acknowledging the significant role emotions play in shaping cultural policy processes. This paper addresses this crucial issue by conducting a thorough examination of two distinct case studies: the EU Creative Europe programme, focusing on cultural participatory practices within the Audience Development (AD) priority, and the city context of Naples, during its “Season of the Commons” from 2012 to 2021. Through these case studies, this research delves into the intricate interplay between emotions, cultural policy, and political dynamics. Drawing from a multidisciplinary framework encompassing sociology, political science, and cultural studies, the analysis offers both theoretical insights and empirical evidence to define the concept of emotional clusters. These clusters represent a form of social adaptation in times of organic crisis, forming the foundation of novel and often unrecognized spaces of resistance that operate within the spectrum between hegemonic and counter-hegemonic realms. This work aims to critically reflect on the role of emotions in the tension between top-down cultural policymaking and bottom-up cultural practices by scrutinizing the connection between emotional clusters and the empirical evolution of cultural policy processes. In doing so, it aspires to provide empirical analysis of emotions as a means to comprehend contemporary decision-making procedures in cultural and policy/political dynamics, while suggesting coordinates for viewing cultural policies as a lively political matter.