The Unintended Outcome of Emotions within Social Movements: Division of the Movement for Food Sovereignty in Mexico.

There is a large scholarly literature on networks and coalitions within and between social movements, but we know little about why and when movements divide. This paper analyzes the division of the Movimiento por la Soberanía Alimentaria (Movement for Food Sovereignty) in Mexico into two different movements that differ strongly on their social constituency and their strategic decisions. It is argued that the division of the movement was an unintended outcome of the movement´s dynamics based on emotional responses of leaders to unexpected political events, and on the constituencies’ response to these actions. Arguments are based on interviews with leaders and grassroot members as well as on direct participation in both movements for a period of two years.