Emotions, grievance and recognition: the injured of April 22, 1992 in Guadalajara, Mexico

Abstract

This article aims at feeding the debates on the role of emotions in collective action. To this end, three theoretical-conceptual frameworks were established to articulate it: 1) the sociology and anthropology of emotions; 2) injustice and moral offense; and 3) struggles for recognition. Concretely, the document aims at explaining the practices and feelings of a group of injured people in Guadalajara, Mexico, who were victims of an anthropogenic catastrophe. The information used for this purpose comes from the review of journalistic notes, the conduct of interviews and an ethnographic immersion conducted over some years. The proposal is that their collective action can only be understood, in terms of its genesis, strength, objectives and duration, by the depth of the damage felt, as well as the resulting moral emotions.