Evolving Emotion,Situated Context,and Movement Activism: The Case of Bereaved Families in South Korea

Abstract

This paper examines the interplay between emotions and situated contexts in sustained social movement participation. Expanding on previous research focused on evolving emotions during protests, I explore movement contexts and emotions that persist after such visible activities. Through in-depth interviews with family members in South Korea who engaged in activism after sudden losses in various disasters, this paper traces how emotions evolve to sustain activism as contextual shifts occur. Three situated contexts are identified, each linked to situational emotions: guilt, gratitude, and a sense of obligation. A sense of indebtedness runs across the contexts in connection with each corresponding situational emotion. Initially, bereaved families grapple with guilt for failing to prevent the losses and become determined to address the systemic causes. As they engage in collective actions, support from allies heightens gratitude, fueling further engagement. Lastly, a sense of obligation toward the public to forestall similar incidents emerges, referred to as the victims’ sense of social indebtedness, sustaining prolonged engagement.