Structure of Feeling and Political Violence: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis in the Global Context

Abstract

This academic article has three main objectives: 1) to analyze the concept of "Structure of Feeling" and political emotions that influence the perception of power, justice, and violence, 2) to analyze the relationship between emotion and political violence in the global context and the Thai context, and 3) to propose guidelines for reducing political violence through communicative management of the structure of feeling. The article employs a qualitative analysis, utilizing Raymond Williams' framework of the Structure of Feeling to explain political emotion as an uncodified cultural structure. It also draws on Sara Ahmed's "Politics of Emotion," which views emotion as a mechanism of power mobilized through discourse, and James Jasper's framework on emotional mechanisms in social movements, which identifies emotion as a key driver for mobilization and political resistance. Preliminary findings indicate that emotions such as anger, fear, and hope are not merely individual reactions but are constructed and transmitted as a structure of feeling that guides political action, leading to violence or peaceful resistance. Therefore, this article emphasizes the importance of communicative management to shift the structure of feeling that underlies political violence.