Collective Identity and the Evaluation of Oppositional Frame Resonance

• In Event: 463 - Section on Collective Behavior and Social Movements Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 06. Gender and Religion in Social Movements

Abstract

This study focuses on the evaluation process, examining how movement actors assess the resonant appeal of oppositional frames. I analyze how activists in the American pro-choice movement respond to a faction of the pro-life movement that primarily frames abortion as harmful to women. Drawing on focus group conversations with pro-choice activists, I find feminist collective identity and their own experience advancing gendered frames influence which oppositional frames pro-choice actors consider most likely to resonate with a non-activist audience. These judgments subsequently guide activists in deciding how to respond and in the construction of counter frames. I find activists use collective identity when they rule out potential strategies and tactics simply because they are in conflict with what the group represents. I argue that in cases where similarities exist between frames and counter frames, experience advancing rhetoric superficially similar to that of opposing movements can provide actors with similar knowledge. Movement actors draw on lessons learned from their own collective framing experiences to evaluate how audiences will respond to oppositional frames utilizing comparable cultural themes and experiences. These experiences serve as a guide, informing activists about the frames a non-activist audience will be most likely to embrace, which frames must be addressed, and which can safely be ignored. Overall this study emphasizes movement actors’ agency and strategic decision making processes, demonstrates how collective identity influences the framing process, and contributes to knowledge of how group experiences and identity affect perception and strategy for movement actors.

Author

• Alexa Jane Trumpy, St. Norbert College