In this concept note, produced in the framework of the BRIDGES project, the authors develop the concept of “migration narrative success” (MNS) in view to create an analytical and practical tool that can facilitate and enhance exchange among different disciplinary perspectives. In the first part, they provide a definition of MNS, distinguishing between two dimensions (pervasiveness and transformativity) and identifying the relevant parameters for their operationalisation. In the second part, they single out potential explanatory factors (of both the pervasiveness and transformativity of a given narrative) to be tested and validated throughout the project. Based on existing literature, they argue that narratives’ influential capacity depends on the content (what is said) and the framing of narratives (how it is said) as well as the context in which they develop and circulate (by whom, to whom and what for, where and when). In the final section, by changing the focus from narratives referring to specific migration-related events to broader narratives about (im)migration, they propose the concept of MNS as a core category for assessing the long-term systemic “success” of narratives about migration as a multi-dimensional and durable (or “structural”) social phenomenon.
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