Community Organising and Narrative Positioning: Building Sustainable Relationships in Diverse Contexts

Personal narrative plays a key role in how individuals present and understand themselves. Linguistic research shows that personal and shared stories shape social identity. Likewise, community organising models social change through recognising these stories and finding shared goals. This article examines storytelling’s role in identifying self-interest and how linguistic analysis can support community organising. The first section outlines theoretical frameworks, focusing on narrative and social positioning, which explain how stories situate individuals within broader social storylines. Using examples from interviews on religious identity, I show how community organisers can use discourse analysis to identify opportunities to build solidarity. The second section explores storytelling in social change, highlighting how community organisers use personal narratives in “one-to-one” conversations to identify self-interest, develop relationships, and build coalitions for collective action.