Narrative research in health and illness [book review]

Abstract

Is “narrative” a story, a drama, or a life? Is it a general class of text? According to this collection, narrative can be any of these things—and more. This raises an interesting question. Why do researchers focus on “narrative” when the meaning of the term is so ambiguous and variously interpreted? The main motivation of this type of research seems to be to counter the social fragmentation that goes with specialisation. Specialisation creates communication barriers between experts and non-experts and also between different tribes of experts. Narrative bridges the first divide by allowing health professionals and researchers to connect with patients and research participants on the common ground of natural language. This is part of a growing humanistic tendency in medicine, which is welcomed by those who are long weary of medicine's scientific posturing. Narrative bridges the second divide by providing a theme common to different academic disciplines. This has led to productive dialogue between (for example) medical sociology, bioethics, and the medical humanities...