Narratives in East Asia and Beyond

Abstract

In this book, the contributors from diverse fields jointly argue for the interdisciplinary appeal of using narratives as a research method. Contributors from the fields of philosophy of narrative, ethnographic research, linguistics, political sciences, international relations, and area studies reflect on how to approach, understand, and utilize narratives to comprehend social structures and interactions. The volume attempts to reflect on a range of questions, including: How can narrative studies broaden and deepen the scope of research in other fields? What connections exist between narratives and identities (individual and collective)? How does analyzing narratives help us better understand the dynamics of the policy change and the perceptions of self and other? The essays range from reflections on the role of narrativity in cognitive processes, interview settings, and in constructing historical memories to the analysis of narrator and audience perspectives on the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, evaluations of roles and legitimation strategies, as well as interpretations of documentary films. The authors show the flexibility and fruitfulness of incorporating narratology in research agendas in a wide range of disciplines and highlight the theoretical and empirical research benefits that narrative studies open up.