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Political narrative
[edit]Political narrative is a term used in the humanities and political sciences to describe the way in which storytelling can shape fact and impact on understandings of reality.[1] However, political narrative is not only a theoretical concept, it is also a tool employed by political figures in order to construct the perspectives of people within their environment and alter relationships between social groups and individuals.[2] As a result, fiction has the potential to become fact and myths become intertwined into public discourse.[3] Political narrative is impactful in its ability to elicit pathos, allowing the narrative to be influential through the value it provides rather than the truth that is told.[4]
Background
[edit]The notion of political narrative stems from concepts illustrated in narrative theory, which has become increasingly popular in the humanities and political science as a result of the popularisation of "fake news" following the inauguration of Donald Trump in 2017.[4] The study of narrative began at the beginning of the 20th century and experienced a resurgence in the 1970s when feminist researchers began to highlight the way in which women's lives are framed in storytelling - and this research has subsequently pioneered research on gendered political narrative today.[5]
Narrative theory grew from the ideas present within literary theory which experienced reform during the 1940s when novels began to gain validity as a medium for literary study.[3] Poetry and drama had been valued for the aesthetic in its form and structure, however, novels became significant for their ability to influence the reader more broadly.[3] Narrative theory emerged from the notion that stories are able to provide an illustration of human nature rather than just impersonal narrations.[3] Ideas surrounding narrative and political science began as a result of work conducted by scholar Walter R. Fisher who conceptualised the term narrative paradigm in order to contend that narrative is the most persuasive form of communication and is thus central to politics.[5]
Various uses of political narrative
[edit]The 2016 US Election
[edit]The power of narrative and storytelling in politics has been highlighted by the 2016 United States presidential election which created an environment that allowed storytelling to become the basis for building shared senses of belonging between people.[4] The collective nature of the identities and opinions that formed around these stories, and the sentiment of the narrative's message swayed the vote that people cast. The narrative of cultural loss that was perpetuated by Trump throughout his campaign built on the moral panic that had already existed within the country.[4] Theories on political narrative suggest that the emergence of certain types of narrative occur out of the sentiments already within our culture, and that political actors are simply suggesting the way in which the situation ought to be restored.[3]
The narratives that were used during 2016 US Election largely revolved around the Hillary Clinton email controversy, Russian interference during the election, immigration policy and economic policy.[4] Sociologist Arlie Hochschild coins these narratives as deep stories to describe the way in which emotions often outweigh facts when political narratives are told.[4]
Australia and the Children Overboard affair
[edit]The use of political narrative is often undertaken in order to counteract perceived threats in a society as acting against a common threat can mobilise political support and distract attention from underlying problems. Philip Ruddock, the Minister for Immigration at the time of the event, stated to the media on October 7th 2001 that the Australian Defence Force intervened when a suspected 'illegal entry vessel' entered Australian waters and allegedly threw their children overboard. This story was further perpetuated by various high profile ministers of the Australian Government, such as the Minister for Defence, Peter Reith, and the Prime Minister, John Howard.[6] However, this story was shut down by the Australian Senate Select Committee for an inquiry into a maritime incident which found that Philip Ruddock and the other government ministers had used this narrative as a political tool during the 2001 Federal Election campaign.[6]
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
[edit]Gendered political narrative
[edit]
Media and the facilitation of political narrative
[edit]The media has had a key role in the facilitation and perpetuation of political narratives. In Australia, the media was used as a tool for spreading the narrative created for the Children Overboard affair to the public.[6] More significantly, media played an extremely important role in the 2016 US presidential election not only within the United States, but also globally.[7] However, the election campaign also highlighted the increasing significance of social media in facilitating political narratives as it has become the most used platform to access news sources.[4]
The media is often linked to political violence and the ways in which terrorism prevails as a result of the distribution of messages through media outlets.[2] However, the media is multifaceted and unique in its ability to portray multiple narratives while remaining impersonal. While media outlets run stories relevant to the people within their country, international news sources are essential in the perpetuation of political narratives outside of the storytellers target audience. The 2016 election is an exemplary example of the way in which narratives flow from place to place as the powerful nature of the United States media infrastructure allowed for content to be accessed limitlessly by international media.[7] However, while the narratives during the election were not intended for audiences outside of the US, the international attention meant that they had an impact on global political actors.[7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Shenhav, Shaul R. (2006). "Political Narratives and Political Reality". International Political Science Review. 27 (3): 245–262. doi:10.1177/0192512106064474. ISSN 0192-5121.
- ^ a b Graef, Josefin; da Silva, Raquel; Lemay-Hebert, Nicolas (2018-03-15). "Narrative, Political Violence, and Social Change". Studies in Conflict & Terrorism: 1–13. doi:10.1080/1057610X.2018.1452701. ISSN 1057-610X.
- ^ a b c d e Patterson, Molly; Monroe, Kristen Renwick (1998-06-01). "Narrative in political science". Annual Review of Political Science. 1 (1): 315–331. doi:10.1146/annurev.polisci.1.1.315. ISSN 1094-2939.
- ^ a b c d e f g Polletta, Francesca; Callahan, Jessica (2017). "Deep stories, nostalgia narratives, and fake news: Storytelling in the Trump era". American Journal of Cultural Sociology. 5 (3): 392–408. doi:10.1057/s41290-017-0037-7. ISSN 2049-7113.
- ^ a b "The 'Narrative Turn' in Social Studies", Narratives in Social Science Research, SAGE Publications, Ltd, pp. 2–16, ISBN 9780761941941, retrieved 2019-05-21
- ^ a b c The report of the Select Committee on a Certain Maritime Incident. (2002). [online] Commonwealth of Australia. Available at: https://www.aph.gov.au/binaries/senate/committee/maritime_incident_ctte/report/report.pdf
- ^ a b c Kluver, Randolph; Cooley, Skye; Hinck, Robert (2019). "Contesting Strategic Narratives in a Global Context: The World Watches the 2016 U.S. Election". The International Journal of Press/Politics. 24 (1): 92–114. doi:10.1177/1940161218786426. ISSN 1940-1612.