Narrative Research

The use of narratives in social science research has increased enormously during recent decades, and has generated theoretical developments and fascinating empirical insights that have crystallized into an overall "narrative turn". Written and oral stories, diaries and interviews, serve as central channels in narrative research, supplying a multilayered glimpse into personal identities as well as into the social and cultural realities in which people live and develop.

In the chapters of this book, Israeli researchers from various disciplines tackle theoretical, methodological, and applicable issues associated with narrative research. Diverse aspects are discussed: What is a narrative and why is it perceived as a central channel for our experiences and identities and for the meanings we ascribe to ourselves and to our world? What is "narrative thinking"? Is narrative research a paradigm? What distinguishes narrative research from other types of qualitative research? How are narrative research and feminism connected? The chapters of this book also deal with the complex relationship between narrative researchers and their research participants - the narrators - and with issues associated with the interpretation of narratives and the rich world of "narratives in action" in a variety of life domains.