THE LEAGUE-OF-NATIONS AND THE IRISH QUESTION - MASTER FRAMES, CYCLES OF PROTEST, AND MASTER FRAME ALIGNMENT

This article builds on theoretical work in the social movements litera ture that uses ''master frames'' (Snow and Benford 1992) to account fo r the cyclical clustering of social movement activity within certain h istorical periods. I identify ''master frame alignment'' as the dynami c process by which social movement actors rhetorically transform the m aster frames within a cycle of protest to make them resonate more clea rly with a movement's unique social and historical situation. Just as frame alignment processes serve to link a movement organization's acti vities, goals, and ideology with those of a potential group of adheren ts, master frame alignment processes link the activities, goals, and i deology of a movement organization with those espoused within the broa der symbolic atmosphere of the social movement. I present historical d ata from Irish newspapers and political documents to show how the Iris h Sinn Fein movement, seeking self-determination during the early twen tieth century, rhetorically reconstructed the master frames generated by the League of Nations in order to better exploit this particular wi ndow of political opportunity.