Abstract
This bibliographic essay aims to answer de following question: Which are the contributions and implications derived from the use of Goffman’s approach - particularly, his concepts of Framing/Frame - in the study of collective action and, more specifically, social movements? So it is a theoretical article that focuses on presenting and analyzing the pertinence and productivity of the concepts of Framing/Frame to the empirical research on social movements. To reach this objective, the manuscript is structured as follow: the first section recovers the main characteristics of Goffman’s original ideas on frames; the second section describes how the concept of frames was incorporated by social movements scholars; the third section addresses the main theoretical arguments developed around the concept of frames in social movements literature; the fourth section highlights some criticisms to the frames approach that points to future developments; lastly the final considerations points some analytical contributions of frames approach to the Brazilian literature on social movements. The conclusion is that frames approach, that occupy a central position in the international literature on social movements, offers prolific theoretical instruments to the Brazilian scholars advancing in the identification and analysis of the explanatory mechanisms and processes of social movements.
KEYWORDS:
Framing; Social Movements; Frame Analysis; Erving Goffman; Collective Action