Afterword: The Emotions in the Ancient Greco-Roman and Chinese Worlds

Abstract

Abstract This short afterword reflects upon some of the issues raised by the volume as whole, especially those connected with cross-cultural variability in the experience and conceptualization of affectivity and emotion, with the status of emotions as biological and cultural phenomena, with the challenges posed by the overall project of cross-cultural comparison, and with variation within cultures in representations of and approaches to emotion. A substantial emphasis is placed on social functions in specific cultural contexts. In conclusion, the chapter summarizes some of the main results of the volume, draws connections between chapters, and surveys the prospects for further work on these topics.