Varieties of Narrative Analysis

James A. Holstein is professor of sociology in the Department of Social and Cultural Sciences at Marquette University. His research and writing projects have addressed social problems, deviance and social control, mental health and illness, family, and the self, all approached from an ethnomethodologically- informed, constructionist perspective. Jaber F. Gubrium is professor and chair of sociology at the University of Missouri. He has an extensive record of research on the social organization of care in human service institutions. His publications include numerous books and articles on aging, family, the life course, medicalization, and representational practice in therapeutic context.

"The chapters in this collection are well selected and demonstrate the diversity of narrative analysis. They are organized thematically, moving from micro to macro perspectives on narrative. This provides readers who intend to read the book cover to cover with a coherent flow of ideas. The collection reflects a well-balanced distribution of chapters devoted to narrative as data and methodology. In terms of the theoretical and application aspects, this book has a balanced discussion of both. It reinforces the idea that a sound and well-informed textual analysis requires a careful investigation of context. The diverse discussion in this book confirms the status of narrative analysis, not just as a tool of inquiry for various disciplines, but as an area of study in itself. I recommend this book for postgraduates and researchers working within the framework of discourse analysis and qualitative research methods."To view the entire review published in the Discouse Studies journal, click here.

• Part 1. Analyzing StoriesChapter 1. Exploring Psychological Themes through Narrative Accounts - Dan P. McAdamsChapter 2. Practicing Dialogical Narrative Analysis - Arthur W. FrankChapter 3. Narrative Analysis as an Embodied Engagement with the Lives of Others - Andrew Sparkes and Brett SmithChapter 4. On Quantitative Narrative Analysis - Roberto FranzosiPart 2. Analyzing StorytellingChapter 5. Narrative Practice and Identity Navigation - Michael BambergChapter 6. Exploring Narrative Interaction in Multiple Contexts - Amy ShumanChapter 7. Speaker Roles in Personal Narratives - Michele KovenChapter 8. Situational Context and Interaction in a Folklorist′s Ethnographic Approach to Storytelling - Ray CashmanPart 3. Analyzing Stories in SocietyChapter 9. Analyzing the Implicit in Stories - Martha Feldman and Julka AlmquistChapter 10. Analyzing Popular Beliefs about Storytelling - Francesca PollettaChapter 11. The Empirical Analysis of Formula Stories - Donileen LosekeChapter 12. Analyzing the Social Life of Personal Experience Stories - Tamar Katriel