Fundamental Assumptions in Narrative Analysis: Mapping the Field

Abstract

The richness of narrative analysis resides in its unruly openness, but points of reference are needed to tame the variety in the field. This article suggests that researchers should grapple with two fundamental questions when conducting narrative analysis. The first pertains to the status attributed to narrative: it is defined as the very fabric of human existence or as one representational device among others? Emphasizing one answer over the other means mobilizing different theories of representation and therefore, suggesting different articulations between "narrative" and "reality." The second question refers to the perspective developed on narrative: Is it defined mostly as the characteristic of an approach, an object of investigation or both? Different methodological implications are associated with that choice. The article claims that dominant trends in narrative analysis originate in the way researchers answer those two questions.

Advocating for integrative medicine: providers' stories of resonance, negotiation, and community

“…We engaged in narrative analysis of the transcripts, locating the stories providers tell about advocacy, assuming that narratives or stories hold special powers as windows into the individual and social world (p. 4). 34 Our narrative analysis of the data occurred through three phases. Phase One involved all three authors reading through the complete set of transcripts and open-coding excerpts of discourse where providers offered stories of some form of communicating advocacy for IM.…”

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“…A opção por qualquer uma destas perspetivas determina as problemáticas e as opções metodológicas de cada campo de estudos (Robert & Shenhav, 2014).…”

Coevolution and coexistence of cooperation and competition in interorganizational collaboration

“…Following the propositions of Sandelowski (1991) and Robert and Shenhav (2014), the narrative method can be used as an analytical approach to process empirical data. The narrative inquiry can be applied to examine peoples' understanding and feeling of people-based sensitive organizational issues in the organization life cycle.…”

“…Narrative is a representational element because it is the mirror of lived experiences. However, deceptions in narrative cannot be fully ignored, but can be corrected by triangulations (Robert and Shenhav, 2014). Sandelowski (1991) explained the importance of narrative truth.…”