How to do Intersectionality
This article was originally published in 2017 by Rinku Sen. Over the last five years, intersectionality has become a buzzword and an...
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Feb 25, 20211 min read
Turning collective grief into collective power
Grief, Love, Action: Transforming collective sorrow into collective power was co-hosted by Narrative Initiative and Women’s March...
Feb 9, 20215 min read
Feminist political organizing offers lessons in narrative power
Feminist narratives are powering some of the most important movements of the 21st century by turning anger to joy, creating care in...
Jan 14, 20215 min read
Narrative change happens fast
Narrative change happens fast in times of crisis and national trauma. Let’s look at how the “terrorist” stories of this past week (and...
Dec 1, 20203 min read
Rinku Sen named Executive Director of Narrative Initiative
Rinku Sen succeeds founding Executive Director Jee Kim to help the social sector harness the power of narrative to make progress towards...
Nov 19, 20205 min read
Polyvocal narrative strategy: Turning many voices into durable change
What would it mean for many voices to come together, each voice individual and distinct, and speak for change in the same direction? A...
Sep 17, 20206 min read
Thinking with our eyes: Understanding the power of visual narrative
Visual narrative includes the photos and video we see in front of us every day. It’s also the fuzzy scenes stored in our memory. These...
Sep 1, 20206 min read
Our futures now: Turning imagination into narrative power
Narrative Initiative connects futures and narrative to create power. Futures work gives people space and tools to imagine a world free...
Jul 30, 20209 min read
Four Baskets: Necessary capacities for narrative change
Narrative change projects can be exciting to plan but can face complex challenges. The Four Baskets framework can help facilitate your work.
Jul 8, 20203 min read
Waves: A model for deep narrative change
Waves is a simple illustration that begins to unpack the complex relationship between values, narratives and stories. The model borrows...
Jul 8, 20202 min read
Constructing Gravity: Frameworks and tools for narrative change
The Constructing Gravity series will share skills, strategies and frameworks to guide narrative change work. These articles present...
May 28, 20205 min read
Reclaiming Native Truth: Narrative research and making Native Americans visible
Reclaiming Native Truth is an extensive community-led narrative research project. It provides IllumiNative and others in the Native...
May 7, 20209 min read
Narrative and COVID-19: Resources and reading lists
The Coronavirus pandemic is shaping (and being shaped by) narratives. These articles, essays, research and resources offer insights into...
Apr 20, 20209 min read
Making meaning in a global pandemic
Today, tens of millions of Americans are losing their jobs, worried about the health of their families and friends, and feeling fear and...
Apr 15, 20204 min read
Transition at Narrative Initiative
A Letter from the Narrative Initiative Advisory Board Dear Partners: We hope this note finds you and your loved ones healthy and safe. As...
Mar 26, 20205 min read
Building a Narrative Justice League: Learning from a nimble and powerful narrative coalition
Narrative change practice cuts across issues and coalitions. In January, we joined a roundtable of communicators and organizers to learn...
Feb 19, 20206 min read
How platforms and visuals shape narrative: A conversation with Cayden Mak
Cayden Mak, executive director of 18 Million Rising, joined us last September at Start Making Sense: A working convening on Technologies...
Dec 20, 20194 min read
Narrative change in 2019
Deep narratives are built upon deep connections between people. Narrative is a thing (and narrative change is a practice). Deep narrative...
Dec 6, 20195 min read
Narrative Tech: Categories, needs and what’s next
Technology has always had a role in shaping how narratives are created, distributed, tracked and absorbed into society. Today, technology...
Nov 14, 20194 min read
Explanation and the “How” of a Narrative
We recently spoke with Julie Sweetland, Senior Advisor at FrameWorks Institute, about Unleashing the Power of How: An Explanation...
Oct 31, 201910 min read
Flooding the channels: Information abundance and narrative change
Five experts who joined Narrative Initiative and Open Society Foundations at Meeting the Populist Moment weigh in on narrative practice.
Oct 18, 20195 min read
Narrative research: Access, methods and pathways to a stronger field
Successful narrative change projects require practitioners to know what strategies work. When to use them. Who their audience is. That...
Sep 18, 20193 min read
The state of narrative change research methodology
We are excited to share recent findings of investigation into narrative research by partners at Spitfire Strategies. We sought to explore...
Sep 17, 20195 min read
Decoding Narrative Technology
Technology is neither good nor bad; nor is it neutral. – Melvin Kranzberg I was born in Washington DC in the early 1980s. I have seen...
NI Blog
Here you will find case studies, interviews, insights, and reflections from staff.
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