New Books in Critical Theory Henrike Kohpeiß, "Bourgeois Coldness" (Divided Publishing, 2025)
Dec 27, 2025
Henrika Kohpeiß is a philosopher and postdoctoral researcher whose book, Bourgeois Coldness, explores affect, critical theory, and colonial legacies. In this insightful discussion, she elaborates on how bourgeois coldness operates as an affective strategy, acting like air conditioning that shields individuals from societal chaos. Henrika connects the Frankfurt School's ideas with Black studies, analyzing contemporary issues like anti-Palestinian racism in media. She also emphasizes the importance of recognizing affective politics in these urgent times.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Bourgeois Coldness As A Shield
- Bourgeois coldness is an affective technique that shields bourgeois subjects from the violence their societies enact.
- It stabilizes moral self-images by performing limited empathy while bracketing systemic harm.
Virtuoso Performance Over Indifference
- Bourgeois coldness is not pure indifference but a virtuoso performance of selective empathy and moral display.
- This performance secures social legitimacy while keeping systemic injustices out of everyday feeling.
Colonial Residue In Affects
- Bourgeois coldness functions as a living residue of colonialism, sustained through affective investments in white supremacy.
- These feelings reproduce imperial domination even when explicit colonial claims are denied.