1) Historically oppressed groups have used personal narratives and political participation to advocate for social and political change. 2) Personal narratives give oppressed people a voice and elicit compassion from others, helping to recruit support and change public discourse. 3) As more individual stories are shared, they form a collective narrative that further legitimizes the groups' experiences and demands for justice.

1. Kristina Console Console 1
Professor Burgess
Rhetoric & Citizenship
12/8/2007
Transformation Through Active Participation
Different forms of political communication have been used to advocate for positive
political change for groups of people who have been socially and politically disenfranchised
throughout history. Social change and understanding has become more prevalent in recent
generations thanks to the unheard voices of people brought forward through personal narrative,
political action, and participation. These communicative forms have challenged the social and
political status quo which existed over many generations, and has shown the ability to redefine
citizenship.
People tend to define themselves within society based on the comparison of themselves to
the “other” (Fanon 213). In the example of a historically oppressed group, the comparison leaves
the oppressed group feeling second-rate within an “other” dominated society. The environment has
an extremely important impact on the way in which groups come to terms with themselves.
Explaining this concept in terms of race, Fanon articulates, “As long as (the black man) has not
been effectively recognized by the other, that other will remain the theme of his actions” (216).
Through this idea the conclusion can be drawn that people are a product of their environment, and
that their need for recognition in that environment shapes how they identify themselves.
Historically, this process of recognition has kept many exploited groups of people in a depressed
state, unable to see beyond the stereotypes they are identified by, and has silenced their struggles
further preventing them from changing the status quo. Communication within this

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dilemma has helped create a place where the dialogue of struggle and equality is taken into
consideration and further developed as a source of justice for many people.
One very effective form of communication that has aided the struggle for equality and
justice is personal narrative. Personal narrative has been one of the most valuable tools in giving
historically silenced people a voice within society. Whereas previous generations of people lacked
a format for engaging others in debate, personal narrative has provided people an outlet to do so.
Narrative, because if its personal nature, tends to “arouse compassion for victims of rights
violations” (Shaeffer and Smith 39). By eliciting compassion in others who might not have heard
their voices before, repressed people are able to recruit activists and volunteers in support of their
complaints. This process is then able to “extend spheres of suasion” that can potentially change the
defining terms of personal identity.
Through personal narrative, many people’s individual stories have been compiled to form a
group story. By putting these previously voiceless people within a group of shared memoirs, a
larger picture can be seen by society. This process legitimizes their stories and furthers public
discourse on the issue, both locally and worldwide. Iris Marion Young’s theory on political
inclusion participates in this discussion of narrative by recognizing the importance of public
acknowledgement of a group for proper recognition. Young suggests that “excluded groups protest
a political process and shame its designers to such a degree that procedures are put into place that
bring them into the public” (Young 55). Young also identifies the importance of narrative in this
process. It is through narrative that people are given the ability and the courage to step forward and
demand changes within an unfair system. By challenging the hegemonic

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dominance within a given society through narrative and activism, groups are more likely to alter
their previously held notions of identity that existed under their previously powerless
circumstances.
By receiving public acknowledgement of their circumstances by way of narrative and
activism, previously oppressed people are able to redefine their identity within society.
Furthermore, the act of these people actively participating in the process that helps redefine them
also reinforces their contribution as citizens. By becoming an active citizenry these people are able
to inspire change and further promote social justice. Schaffer and Smith write that the phenomenon
of narrative and its effectiveness on victims legitimizes the stories and fosters change and action
(37). By challenging the prior knowledge of the majority population, these groups, in effect,
change history to better suit their needs. Personal stories have disputed historical inaccuracies
through court cases and tribunals throughout the world. Violations of human rights have been
proven to be true by a collection of personal testimony. This personal testimony, when combined
as a whole, produces a story told through the eyes of the victims. In essence, these people are
finally given a voice within the world as well as a language to speak of the tragedies they have
endured. Young describes this experience as developing a “normative language that names their
injustice and can give a general account of why this kind of suffering constitutes an injustice”
(Young 72). This furthers their advancement within society by addressing their insecurities.
By giving people a voice through narrative, others are inspired to political action and
change. By acknowledging a wrong within society, the process of healing can begin to better
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4. society. Moreover, people who were once silenced now have the ability to defend their rights. In
turn, these people have a chance to redefine their identity within society.
Bibliography

5. Fanon, Frantz. “The Negro and Recognition.” Black Skin, White Masks. New York: Grove P,
1967. 210-222.
Schaffer, Kay, and Sidonie Smith. “The Venues of Storytelling.” Human Rights and Narrated
Lives: the Ethics of Recognition. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. 35-52.
Young, Iris M. “Inclusive Political Communication.” Inclusion and Democracy. Oxford: Oxford
UP, 2000. 52-80.