ABSTRACT
This chapter develops a framework model of three basic types of emotional dynamics in conflicts: (a) solidarity interaction, (b) conflictual interaction and (c) dominating interaction. It concentrates on how emotions emerge on ritual and situational practices but also on how the ritual outcome of Emotional Energy (EE) has implications in terms of agency formation. Secondly, a research agenda for the study of EE dynamics in conflict escalation based on two themes, such as (1) the mobilization of collective EE and (2) emotional dynamics influencing political elites is elaborated. While developing a situational research agenda for the study of conflict in general, we focus on a specific type of conflict: conflicts where a popular uprising challenges asymmetric power relations. Events in Arab Spring countries are drawn on to illustrate how conflict is subjected to specific situational dynamics forming the interactions between regimes and the population. Analysing the emotional complexities of conflicts, three superordinate categories of emotional dynamics involved in conflicts are elaborated. The first is positive EE, which is the sum of positive, agency-generating emotions such as group solidarity, hope and joy. The second is negative EE, which is the sum of negative emotions facilitating agency and binding the opponents to each other in a conflictual relationship. The third category features one party gaining EE and the other party becoming de-energized in ways that makes it less capable of actions, such as through fear and hopelessness. Finally, it is concluded that this framework of three basic emotional dynamics of conflict can prove useful in approaching current demanding research challenges within conflict research.
