Somebody Has to Do This: Affective and Moral Dimensions of Socialist Struggle

• In Event: 106 - Section on Collective Behavior and Social Movements Refereed Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 06. Ideological Movements of the Left and Right

Abstract

Why and how do people maintain their commitment to a political cause where chance of success is low in the short run? This study focuses on affective and moral dimensions of this multifaceted puzzle. It does so through a field research involving socialist individuals actively participating in political struggle and organizations. The research involves extensive interviews with socialist individuals and observations of their meetings, public events, and political actions. The first leg of the research has taken place in Boston, and the next one is to follow in the summer of 2017 in Turkey and Germany. The paper argues that any explanation that ignores affective and moral elements cannot satisfactorily account for the commitment of socialist individuals. It identifies four such elements: indignation at the way in which the entire social world operates and compassion for those harmed by this operation; desire of agency for acting in the name of a better future; and feeling of belonging to a community/struggle that is historically and geographically larger than themselves and that is at the right side of the history. A mix of these elements form the foundation of ongoing commitment of socialist individuals even in the face of low chance of success in the short run.

Author

• Huseyin Arkin Rasit, Yale University