How Nation Broke the Movement: Affective Dissonance between Turkish Climate Activists and Global Youth Movement

Social movement researchers suggest that individuals would take part in movements because of their emotional and affective identification with the movement, despite the associated risks (Polletta & Jasper, 2001). However, within transnational connective action networks, characterized by weak ties (Bennett & Segerberg, 2013), affective identification may be weaker than commonly assumed for collective action networks. Moreover, affect is seen as a vital force in shaping national belonging. The consequences, then, can be profound when sense of belonging to a movement confronts with affective identification with the nation, leading to affective dissonance and potential fragmentation within the movement. I scrutinize these affective dynamics by investigating the Turkish youth climate movement's dissociation from the global movement, Fridays for Future (FFF), asking what were the impacts and causes of the dissociation. The dissociation was announced on November 23, 2021. The activists mentioned criticisms from activists from other national branches concerning a post commemorating the country's founder, Atatürk, as the cause. I utilize a mixed-method approach to scrutinized the impact of dissociation on the movement. Through temporal analysis of the group’s Instagram account, I show that that the group’s overall activity dramatically decreased and the remaining activities focused on the national agenda. Dynamics of affective dissonance surfaced during the in-depth interviews with Turkish activists (N=16). The interviews highlight that the activists experienced a sense of alienation and exclusion within the broader global movement, which was amplified with the critique towards their post, leading their decision to leave.

References

Polletta, F., & Jasper, J. M. (2001). Collective identity and social movements. Annual Review of Sociology, 27, 283–305. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.27.1.283

Bennett, W. L., & Segerberg, A. (2013). The logic of connective action: Digital media and the personalization of contentious politics. Cambridge University Press.
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139198752