| Two general objectives are pursued in this four-year qualitative study of the nuclear disarmament movement: (1) to add to social scientists' understanding of the social dimensions of the interpretation of events, experience, and reality; and (2) to assess theoretically and empirically the role of social movements in the generation of interpretations and meanings, and how these emergent products affect participation in movement activities and campaigns. Twelve local and six national disarmament organizations were studied using a multi-method approach. It entailed systematic analyses of movement documents, formal and informal interviews with participants and activists, and extensive ethnographic participation in local and regional movement activities and campaigns. Guided by the thesis that the acquisition, manipulation, and deployment of symbolic resources are crucial to the mobilization and sustained activation of movement supporters, this research focuses on the ways in which disarmament groups attempted to frame or affect the interpretations of reality held by participants, potential adherents, observers, and antagonists. The core framing tasks associated with the production and dissemination of movement ideology, framing strategies, the hazards of frame alignment efforts, factors affecting the mobilizing potency of proffered frames, and intra-movement disputes regarding framing activity are among the topics investigated. The social construction of reality within the disarmament movement was found to be a multi-dimensional, problematic, and dialectical process. |
