Narrative Analysis (Qualitative Research Methods) (Paperback)

by Dr. Catherine Kohler Riessman (Author) "It is perhaps a sign of our times that investigators are questioning how we represent life in scientific work (Lynch & Woolgar, 1990)..." (more)
Key Phrases: complicating action, narrative segments, core narrative, Ablex Publishing Corp (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In recent years the development of narrative analysis has given life to the study of the narrative as a form of information for social research. Why are stories constructed as they are? How does one dissect a narrative to understand the lived experience of the narrator? What steps can the researcher take to translate these tales and life stories into usable research?

The author of this volume provides a detailed primer on the use of narrative analysis, its theoretical underpinnings and world view, and the methods it uses. Replete with examples and transcriptions from previous narrative studies, the book will be a useful introduction to this growing body of literature.

About the Author
Catherine Kohler Riessman is Research Professor in the Department of Sociology at Boston College, and an Emerita Professor at Boston University. She serves as a Visiting Fellow in the Centre for Narrative Research, University of East London. She earned a Ph.D. in Sociomedical Science from Columbia University. Riessman has authored four books and numerous articles and book chapters in medical sociology and qualitative methodologies.

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc; 1 edition (September 2, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803947542
• ISBN-13: 978-0803947542
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #41,938 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Succinct, Instructive, and Accessible, May 22, 2001

By	Harvest Moon (Grand Prairie, TX USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Riessman's Narrative Analysis is an excellent tool for those beginning research using narratives as the primary source of data and/or conducting ethnographic inquiry. Written in clear, accessible language the text introduces readers to the advantages of using narratives in research, the current debates in use of narratives, and the various perspectives on narrative inquiry. More than anything, the text provides an overview of current paradigms and schools of thought.

Though many additions have been made to the area of inquiry since the book was written in 1993, it nonetheless provides a great introduction to the use of narrative in research and the reading of texts based on narratives.

Further, Riessman is not afraid to cross disciplinary boundaries. Weaving together semiotics, feminist theory, post positivist schools of thought, hermeneutics, anthropology, and sociology, she provides a basic framework that, if not exhaustive, at least gives a picture of the current state-of-the-art. The references section alone is worth the cost of the book!

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Narrative Analysis, November 28, 2000

By A Customer

Narrative Analysis by Catherine Kohler Riessman presents the reader with a strong rationale for conducting qualitative research in the humanities from the perspective of the personal experience narrative. Notions of re-presenting to a reader or audience from personal lived experience in order to make meaning from that experience is a theme often stated in this monograph. Vivid examples are given throughout the text, making the theoretical come alive for the reader. Not only is the book written in a friendly style, but the examples yield practicality for a researcher as well. I have used the methodology that Riessman describes for several years with significant success.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise and enlightning book, February 7, 2007

By	Natalia Edith Rybak (Argentina) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Excellent guideline to how to approach narrative analysis. Gives clear examples and their advantages and pitfalls.