Understanding collective anger in intractable conflicts: Context, emotions and the possibility of co-existence in the Rohingya conflict in Myanmar

Abstract

In the context of intractable conflicts, emotions such as anger, constitute a major factor in the formation of attitude and behaviour. Collective public in-group anger is based on an appraisal of the out-group's behaviour as unjust and unfair. Anger is the primary negative emotion in numerous intractable conflicts. Context affects the potential construction of anger and it has great potential to influence emotional reactions and subsequent behaviour. In contrast to individual emotions, which are sometimes related to a dispositional system or physiological mechanisms, collective or group-based anger is formed as a consequence of experiences in particular societal environments that produce “circulation of affect” and collective anger. To take one current example, the intractability of the Rohingya conflict in Myanmar is anchored in a set of competing narratives and entrenched nationalism. The conflict can be explained by significant changes in the social and political contexts that have led to a reinterpretation of the historical and social conditions between ethnic Rakhine and Rohingya, and in some cases a re-directing of anger to non-aggressive yet advocative approaches of peacebuilding. Such an analysis subscribes to a growing number of recent studies that demonstrate the potentially remedial effects of anger in peace-making processes.