Work

Emotions and attachments in land-use conflicts: the build-up of a political and affective capital

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Our paper analyzes the evolution of emotions and place attachments in land-use struggles. To do so, three opposition movements against different development projects (highway, prison, landfill) have been examined on the long run in France and Belgium. Our results highlight the transformations of emotions and attachments throughout the conflict, both socially (transmission of attachments) and spatially (new behaviors and knowledge). We call “affective capital” this socio-spatial built-up of attachments, that can lay the foundations of politicization and belonging processes. As a discussion, we propose a framework aiming at distinguishing the phases of emotions and attachments throughout territorial mobilizations: 1-Emotional clash: individual shock and deepening attachments; 2-Emotional buzz: socio-spatial translations of attachments; 3-Affective capital: collective acquired attachments bridging local and global issues.

Source: Geoforum

DOI: 10.1016/j.geoforum.2026.104730

Author: Lea Sebastien

Institutions: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Géographie de l'environnement

Language: English

Topic: Place Attachment and Urban Studies

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Peace, justice, and strong institutions, Sustainable cities and communities

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,390