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Direct Action as Storytelling
Direct action is a good catch all term for any action where people step out of their scripted roles (be it as consumers, “good citizens” or apathetic spectators) and challenge the dominant expectation of obedience
it shifts power relationships in the moment it is happening, builds lasting movement by leaving an imprint in our imaginations of new possibilities
part of the larger story that people powered movements are collectively (re)telling ourselves about the ability of ordinary people to organize, to govern ourselves, and to create change
Mass actions, an attempt to build a collaborative power for change to confront and transform the coercive power of oppressive systems
reframe possibilities by effectively employing story-based strategies that can shift the assumptions underpinning our political status quo
Narrative Power Analysis
A narrative analysis of power
humans understand the world (and our role in it) through stories
all power relations have a narrative dimension
the power to explain and justify the status quo as well as the power to make change imaginable and necessary
Which stories define the cultural norms?
narrative power can be equally coercive
Powerful interests routinely use propaganda
to de-mobilize social movements
these narratives
acting as filters to our social change
Movements and campaigns
must first
changing the story
applying a narrative power analysis to identify the underlying assumptions that need to shift, and then telling a story that can challenge and change those assumptions.
Direct Action at the Point of Assumption
intervene in the systems of domination and control
hese interventions come at many places
must do more than just temporarily disrupt business as usual
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