The art of storytelling
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The art of storytelling
- June 22, 2015
- Sociology professor receives grant to study how stories can help and hurt causes
Francesca Polletta, sociology professor, has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the
Open Society Foundation to study the effectiveness of personal storytelling as a political
tool.
Through interviews with advocates and activists who have used personal stories to
tackle issues ranging from sex-trafficking to employment discrimination, she and graduate
students will identify conditions in which stories have been used to accomplish organizational
objectives, and when they’ve failed. The researchers will focus on the challenges
advocates have faced in gaining a hearing for stories among those who are ideologically
opposed to the issue in question.
The study begins in July and will run through September.
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