CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020
| Author | Gonzalez Santos, Felipe |
|---|---|
| Title | Movements that Care: Empathy, Solidarity and Empowerment in the Platform of Those Affected by Mortgages |
| Summary | The Platform of Those Affected by Mortgages (the PAH by its Spanish acronym) has left an important mark in the history of Spanish social movements. It gave voice to the more than 700,000 families that have been evicted since the PAH was created in 2009; it has blocked thousands of evictions through civil resistance, and prevented many more through negotiations with banks; it has organized the biggest official petition in the history of Spain, gathering 1.5 million signature, and won changes in 5 regional housing laws. These numbers are just a fraction of the long-lasting impact of the organization in Spanish society, culture, and politics. Despite the PAH’s success, it was not founded by folks affected by the problem of evictions. Instead, 6 people who did not even have a mortgage created the organization. Why did those affected by the grievance not mobilize to confront one of the biggest problems of the post-2008’s housing bubble Spain? Conversely, what led a group of non-affected people to start organizing in solidarity with them? Finally, how did the victims of the subprime mortgage crisis become empower to take ownership of their struggle and contribute to the creation of one of the most successful social movement organizations of Spanish history? This dissertation tackles these three questions and, in doing so, contributes to a better understanding of the processes and strategies of mobilization in social movements. Those affected by mortgages did not mobilize initially because facing the risk of eviction destabilized their lives so much that they were paralyzed. Their shame and fear, the stigma associated with being a defaulter, the little time and energy they had after finding ways of subsistence, and the limited knowledge they had about the legislation affecting them as well as mobilization opportunities prevented them from taking action. Before being ready to confront the banks that were evicting them, people affected by mortgages needed to go through a healing phase where some of their problems would be addressed. Those who created the PAH started organizing in solidarity with people affected by mortgages because their empathy led them to take action. After being aware of the troubles of people struggling to meet their monthly instalments, they placed themselves in their position and took the responsibility to address their grievance. Once mobilization began, they engaged with the aggrieved community and empowered them to take ownership of their struggle and mobilize in solidarity with each other. The dissertation explains the behavior and interactions of beneficiary and non-beneficiary constituents through the framework of the Politics of Care. In addition to their housing and financial problems, those affected by mortgages faced other emotional, identity, and participatory needs that prevented them from acting in solidarity with each other. Conversely, the empathy that the PAH’s founders felt, led them to experience solidarity with a group they were not part of. When these two groups connected, the dynamics of care work that took place within the PAH provided emotional, identity, and participatory empowerment that ignited solidarity and mobilization among those affected by mortgages. This dissertation makes several contributions to social movement studies. First, it explains how grievances may hamper the solidarity of those affected by them. Second, it follows how privileged allies may feel solidarity with an external collective and mobilize in their support. Third, it maps how social movement organizations empower heavily aggrieved populations to confront their struggles and act in solidarity with each other. In this way, this work contributes to a better understanding of the processes of mobilization. |
| Supervisor | Greskovits, Bela |
| Department | International Relations PhD |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2020/santos_felipe.pdf |
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