In this reflective afterword, Shinobu Kitayama traces how our understanding of culture and emotion has shifted from viewing emotions as biologically hard-wired to understanding them as dynamically shaped by culture. It articulates four themes as emerging from the edited volume The Cultural Shaping of Emotion: emotion as situated cultural practice, the centrality of meaning-making, emotion development as cultural apprenticeship, and the dynamic interplay between biology and culture. In sketching pathways for the future, Kitayama calls for an integrative approach that studies emotions as rooted in cultural meanings and practices as well as in biological processes. He also calls to study emotions beyond East–West dichotomies such that we can move toward a globally informed and inclusive science of emotion.

This introduction examines the central role of antagonistic political emotions in contemporary politics, challenging traditional assumptions about what makes emotions antagonistic. While emotions like anger, hatred and contempt are typically viewed as paradigmatically antagonistic, this volume demonstrates how seemingly positive emotions of allegiance – such as admiration and pride – can function antagonistically, and how non-hostile emotions like loneliness and doubt can drive political polarisation. We argue that antagonistic political emotions operate dialectically, placing us simultaneously for, against and together. Drawing on insights from political philosophy, social psychology and emotion theory, the introduction structures the edited volume into five key themes: (i) emotional politics and political emotions, (ii) hostile antagonistic political emotions, (iii) complicating antagonistic narratives, (iv) unmasking antagonism and (v) spaces of antagonism.

Culture and emotion are two of the fundamental mechanisms for human adaptation to the natural and social environment. Culture provides informational resources that help a human population adapt to environmental regularities, whereas emotion provides informational resources that help adaptation to environmental perturbations. In this chapter, we speculate on micro-to-macro cultural dynamics under societal threats, namely, when a population experiences recurrent large-scale perturbations. We first piece together individual-level micro-cultural dynamics under societal threat – encoding, storage, and transmission of cultural information when a large proportion of a population is threatened with potential adverse effects by natural challenges, such as extreme weather events and pandemics, or by social challenges, such as wars and conflicts. We then speculate how these processes may give rise to macro-level cultural dynamics under recurrent societal threats by transforming cultural scripts to cope with societal challenges.

This chapter examines the underexplored role of affective doubt in contemporary political polarisation and marginalisation. We distinguish between two forms of affective doubt: doubting feelings and feeling doubtful. The first involves questioning the appropriateness or authenticity of emotional responses, while the second refers to doubt itself as an embodied feeling of tension and uncertainty. We analyse how affective doubt operates antagonistically across structural, interpersonal and intrapersonal levels, contributing to polarisation through phenomena such as emotion policing and gaslighting. Drawing on cases from Black Lives Matter protests to experiences of internalised homophobia, we demonstrate how doubt can be weaponised to silence marginalised voices and undermine political agency. However, we conclude by noting doubt’s potential for critical resistance and emancipatory politics, suggesting that affective doubt, while often oppressive, may also foster critical awareness of our emotional situatedness.

This chapter demonstrates the positive impact of the pedagogical intervention on students’ attitudes, expressed in their own words. It presents key highlights and recommendations, followed by an in-depth discussion. The sustained influence of the intervention on students’ engagement with lectures is revealed through their reflections, alongside insights into research supervisees’ experiences during their third-year projects.

Opening Part III of this book, Chapter 7 introduces the method of Crossdisciplinary Analysis, a form of qualitative research for evaluating the fit of pedagogical practices to the genres approach. The premise is that if instruction succeeds in promoting learning, it does so in accordance with (at least) one of the three genres of teaching for skills, for concepts, or for cultural practices. We evaluate the lesson by examining it independently through these three pedagogical lenses, checking for balance and coherence if multiple learning agendas are present. Used prospectively with anticipated instructional scenarios, Crossdisciplinary Analysis is the heart of instructional planning, ensuring that lessons are coherently organized to achieve their learning intentions. Used retrospectively, it is a way to evaluate the efficacy of existing pedagogy. Retrospective analysis is undertaken in the next chapter. The method is illustrated with analysis of Skinner’s Programmed Instruction.

This chapter offers readers a transparent view into the research methodology used to investigate mathematics anxiety and assess the impact of a targeted pedagogical intervention on students’ reported anxiety and attitudes towards statistics and quantitative research methods. It provides a detailed account of the research participants, ethical considerations, and the multi-mixed methods approach employed. The chapter also critiques the validity, reliability, and trustworthiness of the research design and findings, ensuring methodological rigour. A candid discussion of the study’s limitations further strengthens its credibility. It is an essential reading for educators, researchers, and anyone committed to evidence-based improvements in mathematics education.

This chapter provides comprehensive guidance on the critical final stages of manuscript preparation, focusing on the iterative processes of proofreading, revising, and editing academic papers. It outlines systematic approaches for improving manuscript clarity, coherence, and technical accuracy at multiple levels – from broad structural concerns to fine-grained language details. Additionally, it covers crucial aspects of the publication process, from selecting appropriate journals to handling reviewer comments and managing final proof edits. The chapter concludes with valuable insights on maintaining persistence through the publication process while acknowledging that rejection can be part of pursuing innovative research.