Exploring the sociological role of the emotions in the social movement of Atenco, México

Abstract

In recent years, the emotions and its role in politics and social life have become a subject both of theoretical discussion and empirical exploration. One fundamental feature under inquiry is the importance of emotions play in the social protest. This article is an interpretative exercise from the sociology of emotions and collective action perspectives on the social movement of San Salvador Atenco, Mexico, whose goal was the defense of their territory threatened for the airport megaproject during the period 2001-2002. I will argue how the intra and intercommunal social relations, the affective bonds woven throughout time, the relationship between inhabitants and their territory, all played a relevant role collective actor building. With support on qualitative research techniques, such as semi-structured interviews and participant observation, I will explore the affective dimension in the constitutive dynamics of this collective actor. As we will see, both grievance and the feeling of injustice were emotions present at early stages of this movement, while pride and topophilia contributed to maintaining the mobilization, furthermore, these elements were part of the collective identity of the people for Atenco.