Narratives and Claims-Making in Local Contention over a State Law

• In Event: 463 - Section on Collective Behavior and Social Movements Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 14. Perception and Social Movement Participation

Abstract

Drawing from work on narratives, law, and contentious politics by Ewick and Silbey, Polletta, and Tilly, this paper analyzes the role of narrative in the collective action surrounding a state affordable housing law. Massachusetts Chapter 40B is a contentious state law designed to increase affordable housing stock in the suburbs. Drawing from two and half years of fieldwork studying local public hearings for 40B, this paper tracks the various narrative forms employed by hearing participants to understand the law, attribute threat, characterize actors and organize lines of action. It finds that stakeholders offer competing versions of the 40B story and frequently resist character roles, leading to a re-framing of their political and legal-claims. This paper contributes to the growing body of literature on narratives, law and politics by connecting narratives with reason-giving and claims-making activities during contentious episodes.

Author

• Jennifer Girouard, Brandeis University