Paper short abstract:

Engaging the limits of political agency in an utterly restrictive setting, I propose the concept of ‘affective agency’ as a revolt against social, legal, and political exclusion by including oneself into the realm of meaning.

Paper long abstract:

How are affect and domination intertwined in the moody space of the prison, and what are the possibilities for action in a disenfranchised setting? To explore these questions, I zoom in on one decisive moment in the long process of deportation (Drotbohm and Hasslberg 2015), namely the stay in a female detention center, and describe the role of affects and moods in volatile encounters between detainees, volunteers, and the researcher. Through an experienced-based approach, I explore the emotional pressure detained migrants are exposed to when their future is determined by uncertainty and focus on fleeting instances, fragile relationships, and the rather unspoken, latent, and subtle moments in fieldwork encounters. Proposing the concept of ‘affective agency,’ I argue that in a highly restrictive setting that curtails the impact of one’s actions and constantly threatens one’s future, the affective response becomes the last resort to resist. Thereby, I conceptualize ‘affective agency’ as a revolt against social, legal, and political exclusion by including oneself into the realm of meaning. It is both a radical questioning of our world and a relentless assertion of one’s singularity as a dignified human being. ‘Affective agency’ is thus not a deliberate political project and might not initiate socio-political transformation; rather, it is a call to be socially recognized and acknowledged.