Narrative research: Time for a paradigm

As a result of the popularization of the narrative idea and the considerable diversity existing among narrative studies, a rather “all included” conception has arisen, in which the framework of narrative inquiry has been significantly blurred. For narrative inquiry to persist as a unique mode of investigation into human nature, a complementary dialogue is required that aims at outlining its core, alongside the emphasis given in the literature on diversity as its hallmark. As a possible reference point for this debate, recognizing the narrative paradigm that has crystallized since the “narrative turn” is suggested. The narrative paradigm is discussed in light of six major dimensions — ontology, epistemology, methodology, inquiry aim, inquirer posture and participant/narrator posture — indicating that it coincides with other interpretive paradigms in certain aspects yet proffers a unique philosophical infrastructure that gives rise to particular methodological principles and methods. Considering the narrative paradigm as the essence of narrative inquiry asserts that the latter is not confined to a methodology, as often implied. Rather it constitutes a full-fledged research Weltanschauung that intimately connects the “hows” of investigation to the “whats”, namely premises about the nature of reality and our relationships with it.