The Dynamic Transformation of Discouraging Emotion into the Foundation of Political Solidarity: Hesitation in Joining the Street Protest in Tokyo in 1960

In 1960, a huge crowd of organized protestors occupied the boulevards of central Tokyo and surrounded the National Diet Building to protest against the forcible ratification of the military alliance treaty between the US and Japan ("Anpo"). Most of the demonstration marches in those days were planned and held by movement organizations such as unions and associations. Although some bystanders and onlookers along the street inwardly supported the antiwar message of the demonstration, they felt alienated from the procession because they did not belong to any movement organization. They felt “hesitation” in joining the political movement.

Eventually, however, the bystanders jumped in the protest one after another and commingled with the organized participants. How could they overcome the hesitation and participate in the demonstration, and was this emotion a mere hindrance to the political mobilization? Previous studies have mainly focused on the emotions useful for encouraging or mobilizing people and overlooked the creative aspects of seemingly discouraging feelings. This presentation elucidates how “hesitation” can be transformed into the foundation of political solidarity through the spatial encounter between the activists and bystanders (Jalili 2022).

The existence of onlookers hesitating on the sidewalk actually cheered up the walk-in entrants who also initially had shied away from joining the protest. Sharing the same experience of hesitation, they could sympathize with each other and convince themselves that they were not alone to oppose the government. The bystanders actually played a critical role in generating the political solidarity. Finally, the inclusive atmosphere based on the shared experience empowered other onlookers to join the march.

By focusing on the spatial and corporeal communication between the inside and outside of the protest, this presentation would argue how the dynamics of social movements transforms the discouraging emotion into the political ground of solidarity among people with diverse backgrounds.