Heroes, Villains, and Victims:Tracing Breast Cancer Activist Movements

Cheded, Mohammed and Hopkinson, Gillian (2021) Heroes, Villains, and Victims:Tracing Breast Cancer Activist Movements. In: Healthcare Activism Markets, Morals, and the Collective Good. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 165-197. ISBN 9780198865223

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Abstract

This chapter explores the construction of dramaturgic characters in social movement narratives surrounding breast cancer. It contributes to developing a better understanding of the role of plotting and characterization in these social movement narratives by highlighting three primary functions. First, the authors elaborate on the functions of the plotting of the central characters of a social movement narrative and their emotional appeal, in contributing to mobilizing collective action as well as operating a disciplining tool for the biological citizen. Second, they shed light on the effects of the simplification versus complexification of the characterization of the villain on mobilizing the audience’s emotions. Finally, they discuss the role of the individualization and collectivization dynamics in the various social movement narratives in stabilizing and/or destabilizing certain political realities.