“Turning Private Pain Into Public Action”: The Cultivation of Identity Narratives by a Faith-Based Community Organization

Abstract

Scholars have argued that activist identity narratives are key to social movement participation and commitment, but there are few in-depth analyses of identity construction processes that take place in social movement organizations. This study of a faith-based community organizing group, ELIJAH, draws upon interviews, participant observation, and archival data to address this. The findings indicate that ELIJAH leaders go through parallel processes of politicizing their personal experiences and personalizing their political beliefs. These processes result in a politicized personal narrative that motivates sustained activism by making involvement in social change efforts an integral part of individual identity. This study contributes to the literature on identity and narrative in social movements by demonstrating how an organization can intentionally cultivate activist identities using narrative.