Learning (by) feeling: socialization and development of emotions in cross-cultural studies

Research on socialization and ontogeny of emotions has been widely neglected in social and cultural anthropology. In contrast, developmental psychologists are occupied intensively with this subject but the majority of their studies focus on Euro-American societies and thus do not explain intercultural differences. In this article we compare the socialization of emotions in two non-western societies: the Bara in Madagascar and the Tao on the Taiwanese Island of Lanyu. It will be illustrated how folk models of person, emotion, and development interrelate with local child rearing practices. In both societies sanctioning strategies are used by care-givers who operate with high levels of emotional arousal. While "fear" is induced among the Bara, in the Tao's case the evoked emotions are "anxiety" and "shame". An important question, among others, is to what extent these "socializing emotions" play a role in the development of a culture-specific emotional repertoire.