The "Health Risk" Frame: A Conceptual Discussion and an Empirical Application

• In Event: 3451 - Section on Collective Behavior and Social Movements Refereed Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 6. Frames and Framing

Abstract

Drawing on a frame analysis perspective, this paper: 1) identifies some peculiar features of the “health risk” frame as it emerged from numerous community struggles; and 2) provides an empirical illustration of the emergence and application of this concept in the citizens’ protest by the local association APCPC (acronym for Assemblea Permanente Contro il Pericolo Chimico, which can be translated into Permanent Assembly Against Chemical Risk). This association was formed in 2002 in the aftermath of an industrial accident to protest against the industrial risks of the chemical plants of Porto Marghera, in the Municipality of Venice (North east Italy), in a local political and social context previously focused only on jobs problems, workers’ health, and environmental issues. Using case study evidence conducted through qualitative techniques including 49 semi structured interviews and document analysis, this paper argues that the adoption of a “health risk” frame was instrumental in the APCPC’s ability to mobilize against industrial risks and contributed to the decision of an American multinational chemical corporation to shut down its plant in Porto Marghera in 2006.

Author

• Paolo Crivellari, University of Toulouse