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Narrative Inquiry: Online-First Articles

Toward engaged narratology

Critical and embodied close reading and social justice in a narrative medicine classroom

ORCID logo | Tampere University | University of Helsinki
In recent years, strands of contemporary narrative theory have taken a turn toward a politically, socially, and environmentally conscious field of study that could be characterized as ‘engaged narratology.’ Creating and disseminating knowledge about how narratives work, these theories emphasize that narrative forms and strategies are neither universal nor neutral; they carry out, but can also challenge, systems of inequality and marginalization. They also suggest new combinations of theory and activism, pedagogical interventions, and community engagement models, offering tools to create social justice. This article outlines some of these recent developments and reflects on the possibilities of ‘engaged narratology’: how it relates to engaged research and what kinds of practices have been developed so far. As an example of engaged narratological work, it discusses the shared close reading of Roxane Gay’s book Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body (2017) in a multidisciplinary narrative medicine classroom.
Keywords: engaged narratology, applied narratology, feminist narratology, political narratologies, feminist pedagogy, literature pedagogy, narrative medicine, social justice, close reading, embodiment
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Engaged research and political narratologies
    • Tools for engaged narratology
  • Reading Roxane Gay’s Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body in a narrative medicine classroom
    • Reading pain: First impressions
    • Metanarrative reading instructions and tools for reading: Discussion of the text
  • Conclusion
  • Notes
  • Author queries
  • References
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