Browsing by Subject "social movements"
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Resisting globalization- ATTAC in France: local discourses, global terrain(Texas A&M University, 2007-04-25) Leonard, Marie des NeigesThe debate over the "globalization" process has been influenced by the emergence of social movements who deplore this process. This research focuses on the French social movement ATTAC (Action for a Tobin Tax for the Aid of Citizens), that criticizes the problematic effects of globalization and of the new European constitutional order. This study contends that anti-globalization movements, such as ATTAC, are not only resisting what is perceived as an unjust economic system (neo-liberal globalization), but also what they perceive as cultural uniformization, or a threat to cultural identity and cultural diversity. I substantiate this claim by studying the membership of ATTAC: through qualitative research, including interviews and observations, I show the multiplicity of discourses in which members address the anti-globalization issue. This study will contribute to the research on transnational social movements, as it demonstrates the prevalence of culture and identity concerns over globalization, something that has been overlooked by previous studies of anti-globalization movements.Item Rhetorical Response to the Homeless Movement: Adopting Discursive Units in Counter-Frames(2010-07-14) Mathe, Kristin S.American cities have a combination of policies that both provide emergency services and restrict the movements and activities of homeless people. These policies are the product of active public debates that construct narratives that explain the causes of homelessness and characterize homeless people. I identify both the policy opportunities and limits created by the way interest groups talk about homelessness by weaving together framing theory with analysis of discursive units employed in the public discussions about homelessness published in the St. Petersburg Times, in Pinellas County, Florida. This county is representative of other metropolitan regions that experienced rapid growth, gentrification, and are now seeing skyrocketing rates of foreclosures. I situate this local debate within the nationally circulated publications referring to homelessness to identify underlying assumptions that shape the outcomes in Pinellas County and set the stage for similar discussions across the United States. I examine how these narratives function in collective action frames of homelessness, the resulting opposing views of who should respond, and how the issue of homelessness should be treated given the legal division between public and private property in our capitalistic society. Frames must be considered rhetoric because they are employed to advance persuasive arguments. The various issue and collective action frames used to shape city policies each form an argument about homelessness. Discursive units are the building blocks of these arguments. Hence, I examine the place of the discursive units of thematic values, anecdotal narratives, and characterizations within these frames. I find that the city council responds to the competing interest group frames by selectively adopting different discursive units from each group in order to frame the situation of homelessness in the region as a crisis. While maintaining the use of the same thematic values and anecdotal narratives, the government is able to transcend competing characterizations of the homeless, creating space for their new policies to pass and succeed with the support of constituents from opposed interest groups.