The Emotional Contradictions of Identity Politics: A Case Study of a Failed Human Relations Commission

Abstract

This case study of the birth and death of a human relations commission in California contributes to our understanding of the emotional stakes of social movement participation and the meaning of multiculturalism in the U.S. post–civil rights era. The research indicates the extent to which resonant movement frames are necessary for movement success and how their absence can cause emotional harm to movement adherents. In this account of institutional activism, the frameworks of human relations and multiculturalism—simultaneously affective and amorphous— attracted participation but produced a harmful emotional climate and ultimately proved insufficient to inspire collective identity and action. Thus, instead of transforming social movement behavior, the state project of human relations deployed here succeeded in invigorating entrenched grievances and identities. Other factors, such as leadership, social movement identity work, and the “emotion culture” of movements are also discussed. Findings presented herein are based on one year of participant observation, twenty-four interviews, and analysis of public records.