Emotions in social conflict are usually investigated with regard to their motivational role in conflict mobilization and participation, and as a specific mode of political discourse and communications. This Research Placement takes a novel perspective on emotions and social conflict: students will investigate the ways in which emotions become contested issues in themselves in the context of pertinent social cleavages. In conflicts around the climate crisis, for example, climate movements explicitly frame certain emotions as socially and politically inadequate (e.g., hope), and demand that other, more adequate emotions should be felt in view of the crisis (e.g., rage, panic). Another example is the war on Ukraine, where countless media reports discussed the question of which emotions should be (or not be) felt in view of the war, and several social media influencers extensively discussed their own emotions and their adequacy and legitimacy in the context of this war. A third example are groups and individuals centering on self-care and self-optimization, for example in terms of “empowerment” and “awareness”, where in therapeutic self-help meetings and conversations participants’ emotions are investigated, articulated, valued, discussed, and, ultimately, changed. In this Research Placement (RP), students will plan, design and conduct sociological studies of the phenomenon of contested emotions using qualitative research methods, for instance interviews, discourse and content analysis. Students will work in small groups and will focus on one of the following cleavages of their choice: climate change, armed conflict, feminism, race, social class, and colonialism. The RP is structured into three main parts: The first part will introduce students to select theory and research on emotions, specifically in the context of conflict and social movements. The second part will familiarize students with basics of qualitative research, in particular with regard to data acquisition and analysis techniques. The third and largest part of the class is dedicated to students carrying out their own research and regular meetings to discuss and advance this research. Basic knowledge of qualitative methods is an advantage. close