Local Authority for Inclusion and Multiculturalism in Italy

Counter-narrative through storytelling

Claudio Tocchi is a practitioner at Local Authority for inclusion and multiculturalism. In his lecture he explains the concept of narrative and counter-narrative on the example of the current refugee issue. He guides us how to respond to the narrative, how to build one and what to be aware of when constructing and de-constructing the narrative.

What is the role of a story in a political discourse?

• The role of a story in learning
• The role of a story in our identities
• The role of a story in culture
• Narrative as an analytical tool for political discourse
• How do politicians use stories in their rhetoric?

What elements are building a counter-narrative and how does the narrative look like in the refugee issue?

• 5 core elements of narratives
• Narratives “Refugee crisis” and “They steal our jobs”
• Exclusivity and oppression in the narrative “They steal our jobs”
• Example of the narrative “Yes, we can” from the Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008
• The role of emotions and feelings to determine a narrative’s effectiveness

When confronted with a narrative, how can we respond?

• 2 ways to respond to a narrative
• When coming up with an alternative narrative, why is it risky to blame another social group?
• The essentiality of the human rights based approach
• The role of the relationship between an ingroup and an outgroup in the narrative
• No hate speech campaign run by the Council of Europe