From Protest to Product: Strategic Frame Brokerage in a Commercial Social Movement Organization

Our research examines how social movement organizations strategically frame their commercial activities. We present findings from a seven-year case study of a Sicilian antiracket social movement organization that attempts to eradicate the practice of extortion payments to the Mafia by providing local tourism services. We bridge strategic and interactional theories of frame development to show the process by which a social movement organization entering in a new industry can develop frames that resonate with both industry actors and activists. Our findings show that original anti-racket social movement frames were modified through a process of strategic frame brokerage that incorporated, through interaction, the distributed interpretations of tourists, tourism service providers, and anti-racket activists. As a result of this process, original social movement frames were retained, transformed, or managed through selective referral. We discuss implications for research on strategic and interactional perspectives on framing, social enterprise, and commercialization as a “mobilizing technology” for social movements. DO NOT CITE WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OF THE AITHORS † First and second authors contributed equally and are listed alphabetically.