Emotions and Values: From the Greek Riots of 2008 to the Movements of 2011

It is not uncommon for theories of collective action to differentiate between ‘conventional’ and ‘unconventional’ protests. This paper argues, however, that although riots are ‘unconventional’ protests, they are an important element in the process of collective identity construction. They signal a crisis in representation and the need for improved or renewed democratic politics, as practiced in social movements. ‘Riots’, although lacking the clear demands, degree of organisation and duration of social movements, offer an insight into the network of emotions and values that subsequently crystallize into more coherent forms of collective action. In this respect they should be thought of within the theoretical framework of social movements. The intense and extensive rioting in Greece in December 2008 was one of these instances which although not purposeful in the traditional sense, provide an insight into the networks of values and emotions leading to the movement of the ‘Aganaktismenoi‘ (Indignants) responding to the economic crisis in Greece in 2011.