Abstract:

Postmodernism often focuses exclusively on the linguistic construction of historical writing, while neglecting crucial issues such as subjectivity, body, and experience. Grounded in psychoanalysis and theories of emotional practices, the history of emotions offers a new approach beyond postmodernism. In examining the 17^th-century European cases such as the collective possession of nuns in Loudun, France, the history of emotions sheds light on the psychological conflicts, social repressions, and cultural scripts underlying the phenomenon of possession by focusing on individual subjectivity, embodied emotional practices, and the narrative transformation of lived experiences. Subjectivity is gradually constructed through interaction between body and experience. By integrating psychology, the history of body, and research of experience, the history of emotions provides a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between the inner worlds and external behaviors of historical agents, thus offering a more inclusive and explanatory analytical framework for historical studies.

Key words: emotions, practice, subjectivity, body, experience