Configuraciones afectivas y (des)regulaciones de lo público. Reflexiones sobre Victoria Villarruel en el debate vicepresidencial (2023)

The aim of this essay is to present a series of reflections on the relationship between emotions, political discourse and the configuration of the public sphere based on the last vice-presidential debate in the context of the Argentinean electoral campaign of 2023. Lately, emotions have become an object of particular interest for social sciences and humanities oriented to investigate contemporary political communication crossed by the logics of polarization and mediatization. We argue that the link between emotions and politics constitutes a preponderant place to observe the way in which different party formations mobilize affective configurations as devices for the regulation of the public sphere. Starting from the case of Victoria Villarruel, as vice-presidential candidate and activist for the “complete memory”, we will reflect on the discursive strategy that appeals to the figure of “victim” to dispute with affective configurations previously established by human rights organizations.