From time to time it’s important to pause and reflect. Engaging in narrative work invites us to look both inward and outward: Internally, it involves reconnecting with our core values and activating our creative imagination. Externally, it entails analyzing the narrative landscape and observing which marks we make.
Starting with yourself
Every narrative process should start with ourselves: Which narratives are we reproducing – through words and actions? Stories are deeply ingrained in our memory. It can be a painful but also insightful process to realize which stories shaped us. You could for example adapt the Master’s House of the WeRise-Toolkit to start thinking about it.It is an act of liberation to no longer comply with dominant narratives. We can create new stories through alternative ways of being and doing. In the Art of Activism Workbook, you find exercises to reflect on your own ethical code and the way you are practicing it. Beautiful Trouble suggests anti-oppression practices to transform oppressive dynamics in our organizing.
Holding each other
Narratives have to be brought to life through many different voices. This requires more than asking our allies to retell our stories or retweet our messages. If we want people to be passionate about an alternative narrative, they must be involved in every step of its creation. The narrative must be built upon a shared vision and collectively hold values. We must invest considerable time and energy to foster deep connections, to build trust, and to create safe and inclusive spaces where everybody can meaningfully participate. The Feminist Influencing Basket of Resources provides a range of methods to create the conditions for care and participation.
Understanding what you are up against
If we want to create and change narratives, it is useful to be aware of the narratives that are already out there. The Narrative Initiative suggests starting with a Narrative Landscape Mapping to identify harmful and helpful narratives on your issue. You might also want to analyze the most dominant narratives in more depth. The Narrative Power Analysis Worksheet, as described in Re:Imagining Change, is a handy tool to do so.
Observing narrative change
After deploying your alternative narrative, you might want to observe if things are moving in the right direction. Measuring Narrative Change by ORS Impact asks the right types of question to develop outcomes and track progress.