Description
The emergence of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) has stirred considerable controversy, often viewed as a reclamation of agency and resistance to an unjust nuclear order. This paper analyses how the construction of the Humanitarian Initiative, the coalition of civil society and nonnuclear weapon states that drove the emergence of the TPNW, produced resistance to the normative and structural status quo of the nuclear order, more specifically, to hegemonic nuclearism. Drawing on Social Movements Theory, the paper argues that resistance gained salience and actors were mobilised for collective action as the Humanitarian Initiative (re-)negotiated (entrenched) meanings about the nuclear order. Using discourse analysis, the paper argues that three processes facilitated resistance: the creation of a collective identity, demarcation from other actors, and the construction of a scope for collective action. Through identification, the Humanitarian Initiative created a resonance chamber for normative debates enabling shifts in interpretive frames. Drawing boundaries led to greater distinctiveness between the initiative and other actors, thereby fostering “antagonistic” interactions. Constructing a sense of urgency, necessity and possibility altered the initiative’s situational analysis and provided a source for mobilisation. These processes aligned the Humanitarian Initiative’s positions, creating a conducive context for mobilisation.
