Emotions and Participation in Social Movements

Abstract

This chapter studies the influence of emotions on participation in social movements in the context of Turkey. In line with the current interest on social movements, Erisen explores whether anger and fear promote distinct behavioral tendencies in social mobilization. To that end, this chapter employs an experiment to test whether anger triggers approach behavior by increasing the likelihood of participation in social movements whereas fear decreases that propensity. The study also aims to investigate whether enthusiasm motivates people to participate in social movements more than anger. The influence of emotions is tested while controlling for the contextual effects of recent Turkish political developments, specifically the Gezi Park demonstrations.