Emotional Complexity, Collective Strength and Power Relations in the Political Participation of University Students from Medellín

Abstract

This article presents the results of a qualitative research that sought to understand the ways of feeling of young university students in the city of Medellín in relation to their practices of political participation, both among young people who assume the role of student representatives and among those who call themselves "disinterested". The results suggest that feelings of enthusiasm, empathy and indignation contribute to boost and sustain the political participation of student representatives, while feelings of apathy, fear and frustration are associated with the inhibition of political participation, especially among those who call themselves "disinterested". In the discussion, it is proposed that political feelings, whether they are animators or inhibitors of participation, form constellations and emerge in relation to the position that young university students occupy in the power relations typical of the political areas in which they participate. Finally, it is argued that the differentiated way in which these young people participate is related to the collective or private way as they experience those feelings.