Minority Research Planning Grant: Rhetoric Under the Gun: An Inquiry into How Dissident Frames Interact with Political Opportunity Structure

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The existing literature on dissident movements has not addressed the question of how rhetoric can be used to mobilize potential adherents to social movements. This project hypothesizes that rhetoric takes place within particular communication `frames` and is more successful at mobilization when legal and political pressure increasingly is directed against the dissident group. This research uses a content analysis of the Black Panther Party's newsletter (published weekly between 1967 and 1980) to determine the content of this dissident group's rhetoric. These data are correlated with local, state and federal responses. These data are estimated using standard econometric techniques. The project sheds light on the circumstances under which authorities respond to attempts at political mobilization. It sheds light on how dissidents recreate their rhetorical statements in response to actions by authorities. Finally, it sheds light on the dynamic interaction between mobilization attempts and domestic political responses.