CONSTRUCTING IDENTITY AND OPPOSITIONAL KNOWLEDGE - THE FRAMING PRACTICES OF PEACE MOVEMENT ORGANIZATIONS DURING THE PERSIAN-GULF-WAR

Social movement organizations (SMOs) engage in the formation of public policy and social beliefs by framing issues and events for the public . These framing activities may offer an alternative source of knowledg e and challenge status quo definitions of important social issues. Ana lyzing the statements and press releases of four peace movement organi zations during the seven months of military escalation and war in the Persian Gulf in 1990 and 1997, this article explores the structure and content of social movement framing of a specific event. Findings sugg est that the shape and content of the frames used by these SMOs are ro oted in a complex amalgamation of each organization's historical and p ublic identity, intended audiences, and contemporary motivations and o rganizational goals. The collective identity of an organization influe nces the shape and content of the organization's framing activities. T he organizations studied made use of their specific structural and org anizational strengths as part of a credentialing process, wherein they shaped their oppositional voices so they could be heard and accepted by specific audiences. This was in turn a matter of the organization's historical practice, the ways it presented that history, and how it c onstructed its contemporary collective identity (e.g., as Quakers or a s Catholic peacemakers). All of this is done with a view toward claimi ng a voice in the public debate, a voice that may help the SMO create oppositional bases of knowledge, influence public policy, sustain and embolden members, and establish a historical record of opposition.