Our focus on narratives is ultimately pragmatic. Far too often, we see great causes and efforts to improve the world stymied by being stuck in debates and conversations in which the deck is stacked against them. If the terms, concepts or premises of the conversation are left unquestioned, movements fail to identify or consider how important such framing is in mobilising narrative change. Interrogating the deeper beliefs, assumptions and worldviews which sit beneath existing narratives and counter-narratives is necessary, to help us move beyond a limited or counterproductive frame.
Why Map Narratives
The most powerful ideas cross demographics. Separating up or atomising groups using an audience segmentation-based approaches can miss them. Building broad shared narratives and coalitions relies on gathering allies around a common goal. The purpose of mapping and analysing is to unlock this organising power: by fully appreciating the landscape of ideas and perspectives in which you operates, you are able to see barriers, gaps and opportunities, and what other ways of defining or framing your cause might be more resonant and why.
Common Reasons we Map Narratives
Below we summarise three of the main reasons that we map narratives, along with links to example projects.
| Rationale | Example |
|---|---|
| 1) Understanding the full landscape of different perspectives on an issue. What are the ideas, values and arguments that define and distinguish them? Allows you to identify opportunities and barriers for aims. | Our London Mining Network project identified the ‘pragmatic urgency’ argument at the intersection of Climate & Geopolitical narratives as a key barrier to more progressive perspectives. |
| 2) Bring a coalition together around a common understanding of an issue. A collaborative process where people can be clear on where they stand and why in relation to each other – where they agree and don’t, what unites them. An interesting hook to pull people together around a common goal. | The How to Disagree Better About Education project led to a launch event and content, overcoming polarised debate. |
| 3) Identify the opportunities and gaps to break free of dominant narrative frames. To generate creative and appealing new ideas for action. What are the parameters of dominant frames, their limits and open ground for new approaches? | Our Land Narrative project identified and generated creative new framing possibilities – ‘with land we can‘ – with progressive core principles. |
How to Map Narratives
The narrative mapping and analysis process which we utilise for most projects generally follows a sequence of a few key steps:
Step 1
Identifying the Level to Map
What are we mapping the narratives of?
This might seem like a simple question, but often the immediate challenges that an organisation or coalition faces can be:
1) A common issue is being defined primarily by what you are against – keeping you stuck in a binary opposition, which often suits those in the more powerful incumbency.
2) Using a very narrowly defined and technically precise terminology to describe what they are doing. This keeps them stuck in a silo of specialists, and mapping only around that risks reinforcing this bubble.
A first step is to look at the core concept you are mapping around – and often to ‘zoom out’ to the bigger picture issue of which your agenda or definition is part.
Here’s how we did this in a couple of projects:
Example 1
How to Disagree Better About Education
Starting point: UK education policy debate typically frames issues within a ‘knowledge vs skills’ binary, producing a limited and necessarily narrow debate.
Framing shift: how do we free ourselves from this limiting binary, and get beyond or underneath it?
Our map: Framed the issue by asking ‘what are the core values behind different views on the purpose of education?’ – getting beneath the dominant binary.
Example 2
De-Dollarisation
Starting point: ‘De-dollarisation‘ frames the issues of the US Dollar hegemony using a narrow technical term, mainly discussed by academics and progressive activists.
Framing shift: how do we select a broader frame which engages the wider public on this important issue?
Our map: We chose to map this issue through the lens of ‘Geopolitics and the Future of Currency and Technology’ – an extremely salient and regularly discussed topic globally.
Step 2
Sourcing Research Materials
As with every step in this process, the exact best source for each project is different. But in general, the raw materials for a narrative mapping process are usually readily and easily available – if you know where to look.
Methods of research we utilise include:
1) Review Media Coverage
Particularly disputes or debates.
Whilst media monitoring software (for example Meltwater) can offer a quantitative overview of the landscape, they cannot substitute in-depth qualitative analysis, identifying relevant underpinning arguments and logic.
2) Assess Sector Materials
Including press releases, reports, conference speeches.
Organisations often have a lot of materials already to work with, so picking the best representative pieces of these, then combining them with a good selection of pieces from very different sectors and perspectives to compare and contrast, is ideal.
3) Carry out Interviews
It is particularly useful to speak with people who have an overview of the current landscape of perspectives across an area, how they differ and are distinguished, and what defines them. Journalists are really good for this, as are people who sit at the intersection of debates or sectors.
Similarly, we caution against an overreliance on LLMs for substantive research, though AI can be helpful for summarising debate and topic landscapes, as well as signposting relevant resources for further research.
Step 3
Analysis & Mapping
The mapping and analysis process is not a simple one-two sequence, but a dialogue out of which a visualisation and associated insights emerge.
Through the conversations and data analysis of the previous stage, the aim is to start identifying and defining the main narratives at play around this topic, and how they relate to each other.
This process is about defining a set of underlying core framings, which articulate fundamentally different emphases and sets of priorities from each other in how they approach the issue at hand.
Their ‘common sense’ nature often allows them to be defined in quite simple, colloquial terms, even if the web of rationale, associations and appeals they make can be quite complex and contradictory.
Case Study
Transition Mineral Mining
To give an example, in our work on Transition Mineral Mining, we identified four basic perspectives on the topic that emerged clearly from analysis of the complex discussions of this topic across different sectors:
| Narrative | Description |
|---|---|
| Critical Supply | A military and government associated narrative, that frames the issue primarily around threat to supply chains. |
| Urgent Transition | A ‘green industry’ narrative, that positions mineral mining as of subordinate importance to the ‘greater concern’ of the transition. |
| Mining Reborn | The mining industry’s main narrative, aiming to position mineral mining as an enlightened new innovative approach. |
| System shift | The dominant narrative among campaigners and activists, focused on changes here as part of a wider shift needed across society. |
For each of these narratives, we are seeking not only to name them, but to determine what it is that defines them. In particular:
-
- Identify an influential perspective or story defining beliefs on this topic.
- What sort of ideas and concepts are associated with it?
- What values does it speak to?
- What arguments does it speak to?
- What entities subscribe to and spread this narrative?
Step 4
Confirm & Visualise
The process is visual from the start, usually collecting different ideas as real or virtual post-it notes, and refining and sorting them into different categories and groupings as you gather more data and have more conversations.
For each narrative, something like this (above) might then emerge. Each of these different narratives can be defined fully in their own right, but this is just a visual summary that is useful to bring it all together.
Brought together, you will then start to have a collection of visual narratives that can be roughly positioned in how they relate to each other, creating an overall narrative map.
Case Study
Transition Mineral Mining
Here is an example from the Transition Mineral Mining with the London Mining Network given above:
Step 5
Operationalise – what you can do with a narrative map
As interesting as Narrative Mapping & Analysis can be, it is our repeated experience that it is also an immediately practical and generative exercise that can provide immediate benefits in a range of areas.
Typically, for example:
Presenting the mapping to a range of audiences – including those interviewed, the organisation and its stakeholders, the wider sector, others – as well as a way of gathering feedback and further improving the map and analysis. This can be a very effective way of starting to build engagement and connections for subsequent work. In our experience, the publicity and interest generated from this alone is often sufficient to justify the effort required in the process that precedes it, and it is just the start.
A narrative map of a key area is a powerful piece of organisational intelligence that can inform a number of different important decisions and disciplines: from overall organisational strategy development, to positioning, refining mission statement and vision, to communications strategy, political advocacy and media relations. Understanding the landscape of relevant ideas and arguments in your space, makes effective work in all these areas easier.
A well mapped narrative landscape is also a key resource to inform design and implementation of a number of specific practical interventions. For example, we have built on narrative mapping processes to deliver successful outcomes including: development & testing of new messaging, Messaging Guides, publicity & engagement campaigns, events, creative outputs (ie. films), use for fundraising applications. Find out more about building organisal capacity here >
Example Projects
See examples of how narrative mapping has been used in our projects below:
An extensive process of narrative development & message testing for London Mining Network, on Transition Mineral Mining. More info >
A research project for the PSHE Association, investigating how to overcome polarised debates around the future of education. Learn more >
A research project with Shared Assets and Land in our Names, to understand the narratives holding back land reform in the UK, and create the beginnings of a replacement. Learn more >
Contact
We’re always happy to discuss our past projects and events, possible future collaborations, or anything else of interest. Get in touch via the form below, or you can email us at info@futurenarrativelab.org.