Description:
At a time of contested realities and a renewed focus on the power of personal stories, narrative research is as relevant as ever. But while it has been praised for 'giving voice' to individuals and highlighting how they make sense of the social world, critics are starting to question which voices are being heard, or allowed to speak, and which experiences are made to count.
Supported by the editors' popular podcast Narrative Now, this interdisciplinary volume addresses timely concerns about representation, power, voice, and the ethics of storytelling.
Contributors explore the capacities and limitations of narrative research, and map out new directions for the field while honouring its legacy.
Brief description: Ashley Barnwell is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Melbourne, Australia.
Review Quotes:
"The distinctive contribution of this collection is to show the range of what counts as a story for different people, the multiple media and venues in which stories are told, and the necessarily collaborative nature of storytelling. The chapters are wonderfully open, especially to the limits of their own perspectives and methods. The difficulties of both telling and listening to stories are never resolved but always engaged. Authors do not present "findings"; instead, they keep asking questions, especially about how they represent the storytellers whom they honour." Arthur W. Frank, author