Introducing subplot in policy narratives: A structural narrative analysis of the debate over the Pebble Mine project in Bristol Bay in Alaska, United States

Policy narrative research focuses on one story/plot that forms narratives in policy controversies without attention to the subplot, picturing a reduced policy narrative structure. Subplots are studied in literary narratives as secondary plots to main plots and in terms of their structures, differences with, and similarities to plots, with both pursuing individual objectives toward common goals. Subplots enhance policy narratives’ structures through enlargement and enrichment. Neglecting the subplot impedes knowledge about their contributions and potentially limits narrative analyses. This article introduces the subplot in policy narratives through a descriptive account, proposes an expanded structural definition, and structurally analyzes the policy narratives in the debate over a mining project in Bristol Bay, Alaska, United States. The opposing narrative's plot is cultural with political, legal, and environmental subplots, while the supporting narrative's plot is developmental with legal and political subplots. The study offers perspectives for advancing subplot research and narrative policy analysis.

Related Articles

Brekken, Katheryn C., and Vanessa M. Fenley. 2021. “Part of the Narrative: Generic News Frames in the U.S. Recreational Marijuana Policy Subsystem.” Politics & Policy 49(1): 6–32. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12388.

Chang, Katherine T., and Elizabeth A. Koebele. 2020. “What Drives Coalitions’ Narrative Strategy? Exploring Policy Narratives around School Choice.” Politics & Policy 48(4): 618–65. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12367.

Shanahan, Elizabeth A., Mark K. McBeth, and Paul L. Hathaway. 2011. “Narrative Policy Framework: The Influence of Media Policy Narrative on Public Opinion.” Politics & Policy 39(3): 373–400. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2011.00295.x.