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Abstract

This paper will apply Gusfield’s theory of issue ownership to one specific social issue: domestic violence. It will briefly trace the evolution of the issue as a social problem, looking at the battered women’s movement. It will present a case study of a specific, localized issue owner – Boulder County Safehouse, now SPAN (Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence) as it attempts to reframe the problem and expand its control of the issue. Finally, the case study and paper will serve as an exemplar for how other issue owners might meet the challenge of expanding the power of ownership to reframe an issue -- to keep it current and viable.

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