Zu aktivierenden Gefühlspraktiken und -semantiken von MitarbeiterInnen deutscher Arbeitsämter

The paper tries to fill a gap in the existing sociological literature on emotions by investigating how public employment agents actually deal with their clients emotionally under a regime of activation. The results are based on interviews and non-participant observations in German employment agencies. It is argued that there are two crucial forms of emotional practices in the interaction of agents with their unemployed clients: first, emotional evaluations of the situation and the present client, and second, empathy with the client. Furthermore, the empathy of staff members changes in the younger generations of agents from political to individualized ways of solidarity. Finally, the paper will show that the changing emotional practices are interconnected with changes of the welfare state and policies of activation, but also with general cultural changes.