Publication
/ Inclusive Narratives
Narrative, Power and Polarisation: The Role of Influential Actors
In societies marked by deep social divisions, powerful individuals and organisations play a key role in building up narratives which promote either peaceful engagement or polarisation that can lead to violence. This paper discusses the wide range of actors who have the power to shape narratives at the national level, elaborating them to advance their goals. It proposes practical strategies on how diverse stakeholders – civil society, policy makers and donors, among others – can work with, as well as around, these influential actors to ensure that the narrative landscape advances peace instead of deepening conflict and polarisation.
Based on consultations with the IFIT brain trusts in Libya, Colombia and Zimbabwe, IFIT’s Inclusive Narratives Practice Group and other leading experts in narrative and politics, the paper challenges the view that imposing a new unifying narrative is an effective way to counter polarisation, instead advocating for work that illuminates narrative biases, changes narratives from within and amplifies smaller stories to encourage social engagement at scale.
The DOI registration ID for this publication is: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10473718
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In societies marked by deep social divisions, powerful individuals and organisations play a key role in building up narratives which promote either peaceful engagement or polarisation that can lead to violence. This paper discusses the wide range of actors who have the power to shape narratives at the national level, elaborating them to advance their goals. It proposes practical strategies on how diverse stakeholders – civil society, policy makers and donors, among others – can work with, as well as around, these influential actors to ensure that the narrative landscape advances peace instead of deepening conflict and polarisation.
Based on consultations with the IFIT brain trusts in Libya, Colombia and Zimbabwe, IFIT’s Inclusive Narratives Practice Group and other leading experts in narrative and politics, the paper challenges the view that imposing a new unifying narrative is an effective way to counter polarisation, instead advocating for work that illuminates narrative biases, changes narratives from within and amplifies smaller stories to encourage social engagement at scale.
The DOI registration ID for this publication is: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10473718
You may also be interested in
publication / Inclusive Narratives
Media and Narrative: Managing Conflict in Polarised Societies
- English
- Español
publication / Inclusive Narratives
The Role of Narrative in Managing Conflict and Supporting Peace
- English
- Español
publication / Inclusive Narratives
Changing the Narrative: The Role of Communications in Transitional Justice
- English
- Español
- Français
- العربية
publication / Inclusive Narratives
Narrative Dynamics in Polarised Contexts: A Case Study of the 2021 National Protests in Colombia
publication / Inclusive Narratives
Key External Resources on Narrative Peacebuilding
publication / Inclusive Narratives
Media and Narrative: Managing Conflict in Polarised Societies
- Español
publication / Inclusive Narratives
The Role of Narrative in Managing Conflict and Supporting Peace
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