Moral Shocks and (De) mobilization: The Case of the Palestinian Liberation Movement.

What are the organizational consequences of moral shocks? Moral shocks are events or critical junctures that spark “visceral reactions against a reprehensible reality” (Pearlman 2013). They help individuals overcome fear, enabling them to engage in political mobilization despite heightened risks. This phenomenon has often been used to explain how political protests arise, but the mechanisms linking moments of moral shock to their outcomes remain less theorized. This article examines a transnational movement community, the Palestinian national liberation movement during and after the Unity Intifada of 2021, to delineate the organizational consequences of moral shocks, particularly considering the processes of outbidding.