Competing Master Frames in Social Movements: Can a Failure to “Bridge” Still Allow for Success?
Abstract
Since its introduction to the field in over thirty years ago, the concept of “analytic frames” has inspired a great deal of research and study within sociology. This Article shall explore the concept of analytic framing and its application to the study of social movements. Surveying the literature in order to gain a better understanding of the concept, as well as identify potential areas where further research is warranted, this Article will seek to add to the understanding of analytic framing within the field. Through an ethnographic study of what has been come to be known as the Berkeley Tree-Sit, a protest in the U.S. city of Berkeley that spanned nearly two years (from December 2006 to September 2008), this Article will empirically analyze the construction of competing master frames within the Berkeley Tree-Sit and then determine why they were unable to bridge with one another. This analysis will be conducted in order to answer the question of whether frame bridging needs to be successful in order for distinct social movements to be able to fruitfully collaborate with one another.