| Chapter 1: | Step It Up in the Lone Star State: How Identity and Myth May Impact a Movement |
from incursion (Rothenbuhler 2005). Kenneth Burke described identity as “an entity in itself and by itself, a demarcated unit having its own particular structure” (1969, 21). It is the necessary yet fragile niche each person holds within a social network (Mol 1976). And yet, as Burke also noted, “if [humans] were not apart from one another, there would be no need…to proclaim their unity…Identification is affirmed with earnestness precisely because there is division. Identification is compensatory to division” (1969, 22). Communicative efforts to achieve community arise out of an effort to transcend the very separation we take such pains to guard. Nowhere is this paradox more pronounced than in social-movement rhetoric, which must motivate people to identify simultaneously with other movement participants and against mainstream culture outside the movement.
People use rhetoric to link their own thoughts and feelings to recognizable identities, such as Americans' belief in freedom and democracy. It provides a means to awaken shared thoughts and values, allowing for cooperation with their fellows (Peterson 1997). Organizers of Texas SIU events used identity to link the message of climate action to the state and its cities in various ways. Austinites care about climate change because they have identified themselves as the progressive city in Texas, including on issues related to the environment. The Dallas/Fort Worth region has historically identified with oil and cattle and currently identifies with the energy industry. As a result, there are mixed feelings about climate change and what responding to it could mean for energy production and the Texas economy. San Antonio is home to the iconic Alamo, a symbol of valiant struggle in the face of insurmountable odds. Though not necessarily insurmountable, climate change provides San Antonio residents the opportunity to demonstrate the fighting spirit central to the Alamo legend. In all of these settings, framing the impacts of climate change as a threat to Texan identity offers a powerful catalyst for action.
Like identity, myth plays a role in the development and characterization of self, providing a framework for interpreting reality and sanctifying experience (Mol 1976). “Mythic vision is a powerful source of identification because it is rooted in a group and affects group action…Myth