Using Social Network Analysis and Framing to Assess Collective Identity in the Genetic Engineering Resistance Movement of Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

In this study of the genetic engineering resistance movement in New Zealand, I utilize social network analysis and framing analysis to demonstrate how meaning-making occurs among a network of core activists. This theoretical and methodological framework enables us to explore the contours of collective identity within the movement, given in particular the diversity of actor grievances, relationships and strategies. While I argue that there is a shared collective identity in the movement, the primary purpose of this work is to show how this approach can be used empirically to demonstrate the relationship between collective identity and movement diversity.