Narrative analysis as an approach in IR
Narrative analysis as an approach in IR
Chapter one outlines in detail a method of narrative analysis which is to be employed in the following three empirical chapters on pirates, rebels and PMSCs. It begins by reflecting on the concept of narrative in Literary Studies and Narratology and outlines some of the key elements which distinguish a narrative from other forms of representation. This includes the notion of a setting in which the story unfolds, the characterization of actors in the story and the idea of temporal and most importantly causal emplotment which elaborates on how events, settings, and characters are connected to each other. The chapter then imbeds the narrative elements of setting, characterization and emplotment into key constructivist theoretical foundations including the social construction of reality (setting), the constitution of identity (characterization) and the co-constitution of agents and structure (emplotment). The final part of the chapter turns to the genre of romance and, from the existing literature on romanticism, indicates some of the narrative elements of a typically romantic story, including an exotic and emotional setting, a brave, heroic yet human character and an adventure emploted as a struggle for an ideal in an asymmetrical conflict against a more powerful and unjust order.
Keywords: Narrative analysis, Method, Discourse analysis, Hayden White, Constructivism, Setting, Characterisation, Emplotment, Romantic narratives
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