“This struggle bound us.” An analysis of the emotional dimension of protest based on the study of four grassroots resistances in Spain and Mexico

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to present the results of our research regarding the role of emotions in local struggles. Focusing on the analysis from below, we have paid special attention to the emotions felt by ordinary people. Our research shows that emotions are useful in order to understand struggles because they are pres­ent in every phase and every aspect of protest. We have seen that emotions play an important role in the day-to-day practices of the groups we have studied and that they interact with cognition in deter­mining an individual’s behavior. Emotions not only motivate individuals but they might change their beliefs, too. In conclusion, we have seen that emotions play an important role in the protest. They not only influence the emergence and maintenance, but also affect some outcomes of the protest at the micro-level, like empowerment. Our research is based on in-depth interviews and narrative analysis of the biographical material, and the analysis gives special attention to the different labels we have assigned to different emotions, feel­ings, and moods that play an important role in the protest. We will present some results based on the analysis of four specific case studies: the insurgency of Oaxaca, Mexico (in 2006) and three resistances against dams in Spain and Mexico.