Strangers from here : local politics, frame displacement, and the case of Beirut Madinati

Attempts to introduce new collective action frames can prove challenging for activists whose mission, goals, and campaign tactics appear novel or unfamiliar to local audiences. Even if organized and directed by area residents, grassroots campaigns whose basis for political association diverges widely from the cultural and institutional norms of their locale are at risk of being perceived by residents as elitist, unrealistic, or foreign-run. How do members of the public respond to activists whose vision, language, and outreach strategies do not align with dominant collective action frames in their locale? What tactics do activists use to counter doubt, confusion, and suspicion from the public as they attempt to introduce a new collective action frame where they live? I focus these questions on the case of Beirut Madinati (BM) or ‘Beirut, My City’, a 2016 electoral campaign in Beirut, Lebanon. While political contests in Lebanon normally center around sectarian membership and kinship-based solidarity, Beirut Madinati organizers adopted a secular, rights-based platform, with a framework centered in principles of democratic universalism and economic justice. Drawing on 15 in-depth interviews with 6 campaign organizers, 3 street protestors, and 6 voters, I highlight the challenges, tensions, and strategic dilemmas confronting Beirut Madinati activists as they attempt to shift the dominant collective action frame in Beirut from kinship-based solidarity to democratic universalism. From interview data, I identify three patterns of public reaction to new collective action frames—disbelief, frame confusion, and reversion after receptivity—and three tactics that campaign organizers employed to counter doubt and suspicion from the public—expertise, mirroring, and frame narrowing.