Chapter 5: The Power of Narratives

Narratives are collections of stories that convey certain values, norms, and beliefs that shape our perceptions of the world and how we think and act. Often operating subtly and without our full awareness, narratives mould our understanding of how society works and our place in it.

These stories can normalise the status quo and all its inequities; they can be manipulative and dangerous, creating social conflict, fear, confusion, and doubt. Such stories, which we refer to as dominant narratives, serve to consolidate power over. But narratives can also reflect and spark positive visions of the society we aspire to. These, we call transformational narratives.

Narratives have always been central to power struggles, but we are now paying closer attention to them. It is increasingly important for activists, movements, and organisations to be aware of how dominant narratives reinforce and justify inequality and polarise us, and to understand how narratives can be contested and transformed.

Tapping into values, emotions, and prejudices, organised interests use dominant narratives as political tools to shape people’s thinking about:

• What is true or false.
• What is possible.
• Who is to be trusted and who is to be feared.
• What is ‘fake’ news and what is not.
• Whose rights count and whose do not.
• Which solutions and ideas are significant and practical, and which are not.

Digital tools and social media make it easier than ever to disseminate narratives that shape public debate and attitudes. This presents both perils and possibilities for our work for social change.

We have the power to ‘unmask’ the interests behind dominant narratives. Activists can put forward transformational narratives that articulate a more inclusive, just, and life affirming view of the world and vision of the future.

For example, the rallying cry ‘Black Lives Matter’ is a simple, emotive phrase that both asserts the humanity of black people and unmasks the systemic nature of racialised violence. Narrative change work is not the same as strategic messaging or communications. Its strength lies in the deeper work of understanding how invisible and systemic power shape meaning and how we can express transformational narratives that connect to what people care about and long for. Shaping meaning and discourse is an energised point of conflict in social and political change work.

Dominant narratives can be used as forms of control and soft coercion to consolidate power by:

• Sowing distrust in one another, politics, science, etc.
• Legitimising repressive actions and polarising communities.
• Discrediting, isolating, and silencing dissent and social justice movements, portraying them as anti-national, anti-development, elitist, corrupt, and even as terrorists.
• Inflaming prejudice, fear, and violence against particular groups of people, for example labelling women activists as bad mothers or whores, LGBTQI+ people as deviant, outsiders and predatory, and indigenous land defenders as backward and marginal.

Transformational narratives seek to build a larger, more inclusive ‘we’ toward a more deeply democratic and regenerative future by:

• Exposing violence and corruption.
• Amplifying otherwise silenced stories and perspectives about human connection and the possibilities for change.
• Inspiring alternative visions and versions of reality.
• Affirming our shared desire for human connection, belonging, mutuality, and our common desire for a better future.
• Inspiring and galvanising others to action.

Narratives, like invisible power, are always fluid and contested. They do not always fit neatly into categories of ‘negative vs. positive’ or ‘dominant vs. transformational’. For example, some oppressive narratives may not be dominant, even as powerful groups use them to normalise beliefs that support their interests. Likewise, transformational narratives for positive social change, and the values and beliefs behind them, may over time become dominant.

This chapter is organised in five themes.

Theme 1: What Are Narratives?
As a dimension of strategy, narratives can be used for or against positive social change. This theme introduces and demystifies narratives as a contested dynamic.

Theme 2: How Do Narratives Affect Us?
Narratives both shape and are shaped by our times, contexts, movements, and activism

Theme 3: Narratives and Invisible Power
Narratives are rooted in invisible power and can either challenge or legitimise systemic, visible, and hidden power.

Theme 4: Unmasking and Transforming Narratives
We look at how to unpack and analyse dominant narratives and how to contest them with transformational narratives.

Theme 5: Creating Transformational Narratives
We introduce examples and methods for sourcing and strengthening transformational narratives that are grounded in values of social equity and justice.