Impact storytelling in the context of nonviolent civil resistance encompasses practices that repurpose everyday objects as symbols of struggle, uses art to interpret everyday life through the lens of injustice, and reappropriates words that traditionally have negative connotations. The concept is closely related to “narrative resistance,” which creates new collective imaginaries and articulates movements’ visions for the future.
Movement organizers develop media strategies by identifying the media landscape, target audiences, types of media that reach those audiences, and crafting core messages. Rather than accepting the narratives framed by authoritarians, we create alternative stories that center marginalized voices and experiences. This connects to the broader concept of “resistance literature,” creative works that actively resist oppression through storytelling.
Marshall Ganz, a key theorist in this area, emphasizes that narratives create emotions that translate values into actions, his Public Narrative framework (PDF) structures stories around three elements: (1) Story of Self: Communicating personal values and why you’re called to action; (2) Story of Us: Expressing shared community values and collective identity; and (3) Story of Now: Creating urgency and a call to action.
Impact storytelling matters because research by Harvard professor Erica Chenoweth shows that nonviolent civil resistance campaigns are often more than twice as effective as violent campaigns in achieving their objective. Storytelling plays a crucial role in this effectiveness by lowering barriers to participation, building diverse coalitions, and maintaining sustained engagement.
Here are some resources to get you started:
- INDIVISIBLE: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO DEMOCRACY ON THE BRINK is available in several formats and provides an essential starting point, and if you are pressed for time, start with the “One-Page Summary.”
- Narrative Strategy: The Basics provides an overview of Narrative Strategy, the practice of sharing connected stories to forge, spread, and reinforce beneficial narratives and counter harmful ones, created by Liz Manne Strategy.
- Story Based Strategy 101 is a story-based strategy guide in movement building by the Center for Story Based Strategy.
If you are interested in contributing to our impact storytelling activities, reach out to the Storytellers Action Team or the Laughtivism Action Team.
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