The Hawaiian Sovereignty Movement and U.S. Policy: Framing Consequences of Changing Policy

Why did the Hawaiian sovereignty movement adjust its framing over the past century? In this article, we elucidate the processes that can help move social movement organizations engaging in a frame war to unify around a common frame. Using comparative historical case study, we examine the history of the Hawaii Sovereignty Movement as well as the U.S. governmental policies related to Hawaii and Native Hawaiians across the twentieth century. We highlight the importance of external actors in creating the conditions by which social movements must alter their framing strategy. Specifically, we look at the impacts of specific policies and legal threats on movement framing strategies. We find that when movement organizations face an existential challenge to their existence, they are willing to overlook their individual differences and unify behind a common framing. Policies meant to undermine a movement can work to strengthen a movement by unifying its disparate parts. These finding have implications for future studies of social movements and social movement framings as well as governmental policy studies.