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Robust Discourse and the Politics of Legitimacy: Framing International Intervention in the Syrian Civil War, 2011–2016

By on November 25, 2019 in Articles

Eric W. Schoon, Scott W. Duxbury

Sociological Science, November 25, 2019
10.15195/v6.a24

Abstract
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Legitimacy is widely invoked as a master frame in international political discourse. During episodes of contention, this frame is used by opposing sides to advance competing interpretations of the same social problems. Through an analysis of elite political discourses surrounding international intervention in the Syrian Civil War, we examine what distinguishes the effectiveness of actors’ framing efforts when they use a shared frame to advance conflicting agendas. We show how features of the objects (i.e., what or who) being framed shape the resonance and stability of the framing. Moreover, we show how framing objects that can be coherently interpreted in multiple ways facilitate the cultivation of discourses that are consistent despite changing social conditions and the evolution of framers’ goals. We refer to this as robust discourse and elaborate on the implications of this concept.
Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Eric W. Schoon: Department of Sociology, The Ohio State University
E-mail: schoon.1@osu.edu

Scott W. Duxbury: Department of Sociology, The Ohio State University
E-mail: duxbury.5@osu.edu

Acknowledgements: The authors would like to thank Colin Beck, Robert Braun, Nicole Fox, Steve Lopez, Aliza Luft, Andrew Martin, Dana Moss, Corey Pech, Vinnie Roscigno, and Mike Vuolo for their comments, feedback, and advice at various stages during the research process. This work also benefited greatly from feedback at the War and Society Workshop at Northwestern University and the Koç University College of Administrative Sciences and Economics colloquium. Any errors remain the sole responsibility of the authors. Please direct correspondence to Eric Schoon, Department of Sociology, 238 Townshend Hall, The Ohio State University, 1885 Neil Avenue Mall, Columbus, OH 43210-1222. E-mail: Schoon.1@osu.edu.

  • Citation: Schoon, Eric W., and Scott W. Duxbury. 2019. “Robust Discourse and the Politics of Legitimacy: Framing International Intervention in the Syrian Civil War, 2011–2016.” Sociological Science 6: 635-660.
  • Received: September 16, 2019
  • Accepted: October 16, 2019
  • Editors: Jesper Sørensen, Sarah Soule
  • DOI: 10.15195/v6.a24


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