TY - JOUR
T1 - The strategic and instrumental use of verbal violence by protesters
T2 - political swearing in Hong Kong’s Anti-Extradition Movement
AU - Chew, Matthew Ming-tak
N1 - Funding Information:
The work was supported by the Public Policy Research Funding Scheme (Special Round) offered by the Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office of the Government of Hong Kong [SR2020.A2.005].
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2025/1
Y1 - 2025/1
N2 - This is the first dedicated study on how verbal violence is strategically and instrumentally used in social movements. Its primary objective is to contribute to the emerging debate on protest violence. Its secondary objective is to enrich the interdisciplinary field of swearing research by identifying ‘political swearing.’ Based on data on Hong Kong’s Anti-Extradition Movement, I identify four major instrumental uses of political swearing: attacking enemies of the movement, mobilization and politicization, identity-building, and ‘personal political emotion work.’ I find that political swearing can directly hurt people and indirectly do so by initiating violent enchainment processes. I also find that political verbal violence yields instrumental utility for social movements. This study’s data include in-depth interviews with 30 informants, documentary and video data, and participant observation.
AB - This is the first dedicated study on how verbal violence is strategically and instrumentally used in social movements. Its primary objective is to contribute to the emerging debate on protest violence. Its secondary objective is to enrich the interdisciplinary field of swearing research by identifying ‘political swearing.’ Based on data on Hong Kong’s Anti-Extradition Movement, I identify four major instrumental uses of political swearing: attacking enemies of the movement, mobilization and politicization, identity-building, and ‘personal political emotion work.’ I find that political swearing can directly hurt people and indirectly do so by initiating violent enchainment processes. I also find that political verbal violence yields instrumental utility for social movements. This study’s data include in-depth interviews with 30 informants, documentary and video data, and participant observation.
KW - Sociology of violence
KW - swearing research
KW - nonviolence
KW - verbal violence
KW - infrapolitics
KW - Anti-Extradition Movement
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85147453829&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/14742837.2023.2171384
DO - 10.1080/14742837.2023.2171384
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85147453829
SN - 1474-2837
VL - 24
SP - 77
EP - 94
JO - Social Movement Studies
JF - Social Movement Studies
IS - 1
ER -