Mobilizing Affection: Why Victims' Relatives Engage in Long-Term Activism in High-Risk Settings

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Laura Neftaly López-Pérez
Kellogg Dissertation Year Fellow

In contexts of large-scale political and criminal violence, victims’ relatives spearhead efforts to demand accountability and, surprisingly, many of them continue to mobilize even after fulfilling their particular claims despite the considerable risk this entails. What explains the long-term activism of victims’ relatives amid violent conflicts? I build upon classical scholarly work in the social movements literature to argue that victims’ relatives remain mobilized when they form affective bonds with one another, which become a crucial source of emotional support amid generalized social ostracism and prevalent impunity. I test my argument in Mexico, where a series of state-criminal conflicts has led to the victimization of hundreds of thousands. I focus on the mobilization of relatives of the disappeared, many of whom continue to engage in long-term activism even after finding their relatives. Using original survey and qualitative data, I find that victims’ relatives who face greater social stigmatization and exclusion from other family members are more likely to become long-term activists. This article contributes to the literature on social movements, high-risk mobilization, and transitional justice by offering a more complicated view into how affective bonds sustain mobilization amidst despair.