Frame Disputes within the Nuclear Disarmament Movement

Social movement organizations (SMOs) devote considerable effort to constructing particular versions of reality, developing and espousing alternative visions, andattempting to affect various audiences' interpretations. Conflicts regarding such interpretive matters, referred to as “frame disputes,” are ubiquitous within movements. Using a multimethod strategy, this study analyzes the dynamics of interorganizational frame disputes within the nuclear disarmament movement, including their organizational and ideological contexts, conditions conducive to their emergence, patterns observed, and their effects. Three generic types of disputes are identified and elaborated: diagnostic, prognostic, and frame resonance disputes. Of the 51 disputes observed, all but two involved SMOs from two or more different movement factions. More disputes occurred between the movement's most moderate and radical factions than between other factions. Intramural conflicts were both detrimental and facilitative of the disarmament movement and its SMOs.