Explorations in Narrative Research

There has been a major ‘turn’ towards narrative, biographical and life history approaches in the academy over the last 30 years. What are some of the new directions in narrative research? How do narrative research approaches help us to understand the world differently? What do we learn by listening to stories and narratives? How do narratives extend our understanding that other research approaches do not? This collection of work grows from a symposium organised to explore new directions in narrative research. What emerges is a fascinating, innovative and generative series of essays, generally exploring narrative enquiry and more specifically themes of culture and context, identity, teacher education and methodology. This book will be useful for students and researchers using narrative and biographical methods in a range of disciplines, including education, sociology, cultural and development studies. Front Matter....Pages i-viii Investigating Narrativity....Pages 1-9 Urgently in Need of a Different Story....Pages 11-19 Narratives and Old Age....Pages 21-32 Learning from Stories, Stories of Learning....Pages 33-41 Negotiation and Renegotiation of Gender Identities....Pages 43-58 ‘Just Because I’m from Africa, they Think I’ll want to do Narrative’....Pages 59-69 Questioning the Narrative of more male Teachers as the Easy Solution to Problems in Swedish Schools....Pages 71-81 Narratives and Testimonies....Pages 83-89 The Personal in the Professional Lives of School Leaders....Pages 91-105 Body and Soul....Pages 107-121 Truths, Truths and Treating People Properly....Pages 123-139 Professional Identities in Retired Teacher Educators’ Life Stories....Pages 141-152 Back Matter....Pages 153-154