It Was Like a Fever : Storytelling in Protest and Politics

Activists and politicians have long recognized the power of a good story to move people to action. In early 1960 four black college students sat down at a whites-only lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, and refused to leave. Within a month sit-ins spread to thirty cities in seven states. Student participants told stories of impulsive, spontaneous action—this despite all the planning that had gone into the sit-ins. “It was like a fever,” they said.Francesca Polletta’s It Was Like a Fever sets out to account for the power of storytelling in mobilizing political and social movements. Drawing on cases ranging from sixteenth-century tax revolts to contemporary debates about the future of the World Trade Center site, Polletta argues that stories are politically effective not when they have clear moral messages, but when they have complex, often ambiguous ones. The openness of stories to interpretation has allowed disadvantaged groups, in particular, to gain a hearing for new needs and to forge surprising political alliances. But popular beliefs in America about storytelling as a genre have also hurt those challenging the status quo.A rich analysis of storytelling in courtrooms, newsrooms, public forums, and the United States Congress, It Was Like a Fever offers provocative new insights into the dynamics of culture and contention. (20060117)

Activists and politicians have long recognized the power of a good story to move people to action. In early 1960 four black college students sat down at a whites-only lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, and refused to leave. Within a month sit-ins spread to thirty cities in seven states. Student participants told stories of impulsive, spontaneous action—this despite all the planning that had gone into the sit-ins. “It was like a fever,” they said.

Francesca Polletta’s It Was Like a Fever sets out to account for the power of storytelling in mobilizing political and social movements. Drawing on cases ranging from sixteenth-century tax revolts to contemporary debates about the future of the World Trade Center site, Polletta argues that stories are politically effective not when they have clear moral messages, but when they have complex, often ambiguous ones. The openness of stories to interpretation has allowed disadvantaged groups, in particular, to gain a hearing for new needs and to forge surprising political alliances. But popular beliefs in America about storytelling as a genre have also hurt those challenging the status quo. Personal stories are seen as authentic and normatively powerful, but also as deceptive, subjective, and politically unserious—especially when they are told by disadvantaged groups about matters of political consequence.
 
A rich analysis of storytelling in courtrooms, newsrooms, public forums, and the United States Congress, It Was Like a Fever offers provocative new insights into the dynamics of culture and contention.

 

Mobilization

For anyone interested in cultural sociology, social movements, political sociology, and the sociology of the media, this study of the political potential and constraints of storytelling is a must read.

— Victoria Johnson

Activists and politicians have long recognized the power of a good story to move people to action. In early 1960 four black college students sat down at a whites-only lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, and refused to leave. Within a month sit-ins spread to thirty cities in seven states. Student participants told stories of impulsive, spontaneous action—this despite all the planning that had gone into the sit-ins. “It was like a fever,” they said. Francesca Polletta's It Was Like a Fever sets out to account for the power of storytelling in mobilizing political and social movements. Drawing on cases ranging from sixteenth-century tax revolts to contemporary debates about the future of the World Trade Center site, Polletta argues that stories are politically effective not when they have clear moral messages, but when they have complex, often ambiguous ones. The openness of stories to interpretation has allowed disadvantaged groups, in particular, to gain a hearing for new needs and to forge surprising political alliances. But popular beliefs in America about storytelling as a genre have also hurt those challenging the status quo. A rich analysis of storytelling in courtrooms, newsrooms, public forums, and the United States Congress, It Was Like a Fever offers provocative new insights into the dynamics of culture and contention. Contents......Page 6 Preface......Page 8 1. Why Stories Matter......Page 16 2. “It was like a fever . . .”: Why People Protest......Page 47 3. Strategy as Metonymy: Why Activists Choose the Strategies They Do......Page 68 4. Stories and Reasons: Why Deliberation Is Only Sometimes Democratic......Page 97 5. Ways of Knowing and Stories Worth Telling: Why Casting Oneself as a Victim Sometimes Hurts the Cause......Page 124 6. Remembering Dr. King on the House and Senate Floor: Why Movements Have the Impacts They Do......Page 156 7. Conclusion: Folk Wisdom and Scholarly Tales......Page 181 Notes......Page 204 Index......Page 246 Contents 6 Preface 8 1. Why Stories Matter 16 2. “It was like a fever . . .”: Why People Protest 47 3. Strategy as Metonymy: Why Activists Choose the Strategies They Do 68 4. Stories and Reasons: Why Deliberation Is Only Sometimes Democratic 97 5. Ways of Knowing and Stories Worth Telling: Why Casting Oneself as a Victim Sometimes Hurts the Cause 124 6. Remembering Dr. King on the House and Senate Floor: Why Movements Have the Impacts They Do 156 7. Conclusion: Folk Wisdom and Scholarly Tales 181 Notes 204 Index 246 9780226673752