The Tobacco Dispute: A Study in the Use of Discourse and Narrative Theory in the Understanding of Health-Related Conflicts

This is an exploratory study in the use o f narrative and discourse theory for the purpose o f understanding the current conflict over tobacco in the United States. Through the telling of stories about a conflict, the people most closely associated with the conflict tell how it affects their lives. Their stories reflect their worldview. People develop different kinds o f discourse during the course o f a conflict. They also tell different types of narratives about how the conflict originated, what is happening now, what outside factors might affect the conflict, and lastly, what is likely to happen in the future.

The processes o f problem-solving and mediation have long included a section devoted to people telling their own story about the conflict. This has been viewed in the field of conflict analysis and resolution as a pivotal part of the process because it is seen to engender trust, create empathy, encourage listening, and work toward resolution. If parties do not understand or hear each other, they can not begin to resolve their perceived differences.

The author develops two conceptual frameworks: one for studying discourse with a conflict and one that looks at different types o f narratives that develop out o f a conflict.
The conceptual frameworks were developed out o f the archival section o f this research and then tested with thirty in-depth interviews the author conducted with individuals related to the tobacco conflict. She also discusses narratives that seem to fall outside the two conceptual frameworks. The author argues that a deep understanding of the discourse and narratives that people use in a conflict situation is necessary for the understanding of protracted, complex conflicts.

The study concludes with a discussion o f the conceptual frameworks developed, lessons learned from using narrative and discourse theory as applied to conflicts, and the use o f computer software for doing narrative analysis.