Elena

Elena

  • Joined: Mar 26th
  • Articles: 23

How can we decolonise narrative work?

Header

We are living off expired stories. Stories that expire can no longer dance with you. They are lethargic or stuck, they can’t move things in generative ways any more, but we often feel we cannot let them go.

Narrative tactics

Looking out at the not-so-normal-new-normal as we near the end of 2020, Dora Meade and Elena Blackmore have been thinking about the key narrative *tactics* currently in play and how social and political movements should respond: The co-option of language…

Virus as beast or crime

Virus as beast or crime

There’s a 2011 study in which researchers tested the effects of framing crime using the metaphors of either crime-as-virus or crime-as-beast. Participants in the study read one version of the following: “Crime is a {wild beast preying on/virus infecting} the…

How do we frame our way to Wakanda?

The world outside Wakanda—our world—is rife with poverty, violence, oppression, fear, corporate power. Wakanda cannot remain immune to this forever. The beliefs that maintain oppression and violence are widespread and common. But there’s another set of widely-held core beliefs where…

The Narratives We Need

Illustrating the three different beliefs that are summarised in the subsequent text.

Read the Wakanda Version of The Narratives We Need or buy the poster. Social movements across Europe face some common framing challenges. We asked over 200 campaigners—environmentalists, feminists, anti-racists, new economists, and many more—what we’re up against, analysed the trends…

PIRC goes flat

“It has been a bit of rollercoaster, albeit it one with no height restrictions and an office-based theme. During the process I have fluctuated between hopeful, frustrated, excited, bored, interested, determined, happy, grumpy, thankful and something that could only really…

Pride & Prejudice

People with banner saying Lesbians Support The Migrants.

This month, people marched across London in the culmination of Pride. But in the lead up to the festivities, the organisers faced some pretty fierce criticism for this year’s Love Happens Here campaign. The PR company behind the campaign apologised…

Developing Discourse or Stunted Growth?

Where does poverty come from? Whatever your answer, it’ll shape what you think we should do about it. If you think it’s natural, for example, then perhaps all we can do about it is alleviate suffering rather than get rid…

Strivers and skivers?

The binary rhetoric that currently surrounds the welfare state reflects a deep moral narrative with a crippling social impact. ‘Strivers’ and ‘skivers’ are two sides of the same coin. That coin is shame. One side represents the deserving, and the…

Values, Leadership & Social Change

23rd – 26th June 2015 A residential training course in the applied psychology of human motivation for communicators, organisers and leaders of social change This summer, we’re offering three days of practical and inspiring participatory learning in the beautiful mid-Wales…

Hate racism, love Finland

What do you value in life? If you ask anybody this question, there’s surprising similarity in what people say. You can generally put people’s values into four broad groups: Change & autonomy values, such as creativity and freedom,are linked to tolerance and…

Trending now

“AmazonGate”: how the denial lobby and a dishonest journalist created a fake scandal
Pandemic Metaphors
Richard North’s problem with reality: or, how a climate change denier trashes his own professional reputation
ClimateGate: A Briefer