The word 'state' has a double meaning, signifying both a condition and a political entity. Starting from this observation, the contributors to this volume provide a cross-cultural and cross-media discussion of the role of the sentimental in political culture. In their case studies from all over the world, they focus on sentimental politics of order and belonging in processes and constellations of community building, addressing sentimental encodings used in symbolic interactions ranging from foundational narratives and state-orchestrated public rituals to existential crisis management; from supposedly individual emotion-focused coping strategies to collective displays of public feelings.