ABSTRACT
This chapter begins by illustrating how macro-level mobilization theories focused on grievances and political opportunity structures are not fully equipped to explain how and under what conditions specific communities protest against asylum seekers. Based on the observation that protest against asylum seekers instead occurs at the local, meso level of communities, this chapter introduces storytelling literature as a ‘missing puzzle piece’ in relation to collective action and mobilization. It illustrates how various scholars have theorized (but less often empirically studied) that storytelling is an important factor in collective mobilization. This chapter discusses storytelling literature on three key themes (identity, materiality/space, and politics/power) in relation to the four macro-level mobilization theories.
Based on the discussion of these two bodies of literature, this chapter presents the study's theoretical and methodological model, which positions storytelling as a complementary device to existing macro-level mobilization theories, in explaining under which conditions, and how, local mobilization against asylum seekers emerges. Finally, this chapter outlines how the key theoretical focus of the book (the connection between storytelling and mobilization) will be applied to the three bodies of data: interviews conducted in the local space, mainstream media, and social media content, hereby presenting the data collection and qualitative analysis strategies used.
