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Narrative Research Network

The Narrative Research Network offers a relaxed and supportive space for both writers and researchers inspired by narrative of all kinds to come together. The group connects geographically diverse researchers from a host of interdisciplinary backgrounds to engage in dialogue around narrative work and the issues arising from it.

Elderly people looking at a photo album together

The multiple aspects of narrative research that we discuss include: oral, personal narratives, professional narratives, written narratives (including autobiographies/ autoethnographies/self-study), visual narratives, digital narratives, and activity or process narratives.

The research network holds monthly meetings and are involved in events such as research presentations and provocations as well as collaborative workshops.

The network also aspires to build collaborations between like-minded researchers in promoting narrative approaches and methodologies. For more information or to join the group please contact Dr Christine Lewis.

We have a team of active researchers focused on contributing and challenging debates around:

  • How do we come to see ourselves as distinct subjects about whom a story can be told?
  • What role do memory, ideology, sense of audience, and more play in people’s accounts of their lives/practice?
  • How do class, ethnicity, gender and other social characteristics shape the stories people tell?
  • What do we look for when we analyse narrative accounts of people’s lives/experiences/practices?
  • How do we conduct strong ethical and reciprocal research, which is core to doing decolonising research?
  • How do we represent ourselves/others who may have experienced oppression by western researchers in reclaiming stories of marginalised Networks/individuals?
  • How is narrative embodied and exchanged, how do we talk about finding and losing selves?

Past events

Reflexivity and learning growth – 13 January 2022
Cultural changes in educational and working life, narratives across four generations of families in Wigan – Tuesday 16 November 2021
Just here for the LOLs: how we raise our more-than-human voices through collective bag lady story telling – 23 September 2021
Friday 23 April 2021
Reflections on Collaborative Working for Capturing Children and Young People’s Narratives in Diverse Contexts: Storytelling, Intersectionality and Partnership Working – 5 March 2021
Work in Progress: Religious Shunning and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis – 28 January 2021
25 September 2020
7 December 2020

Group members

Dr Christine Lewis is co-ordinator of the NRN

Louise Hawxwell  – co-convenor and faculty liaison

Dr Liana Beattie 

Liam Bullingham

Dr Christina Donovan – Manchester Metropolitan University

Dr Valerie Gant – University of Chester

Dr Bethan Garrett 

Dr Chris Greenough

Shirley Hindley

Victoria Jamieson

Virginia Kay

Allison Moore

Heather Ransom

Dr Ali Rouncefield-Swales

Dr Alan Thomson – UCLan

Dr Clare Woolhouse