Memory, Identity, Community: The Idea of Narrative in the Human Sciences (Philosophy Social Sciences)

ISBN 10: 0791433242 / ISBN 13: 9780791433249

Published by State University of New York Press, 1997

About this Item

Seller Inventory # 4JSHAO00497Y

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Memory, Identity, Community: The Idea of Narrative in the Human Sciences (Philosophy Social Sciences)
• Publisher: State University of New York Press
• Publication Date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0791433242
• ISBN 13: 9780791433249
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

This multidisciplinary volume documents the resurrection of the importance of narrative to the study of individuals and groups and argues that narrative may become a lingua franca of future debates in the human sciences.

This anthology documents the resurrection, in the last few decades, of the importance of narrative to the study of individuals and groups. The editors propose that the human sciences are undergoing a paradigm shift away from nomological models and toward a more humanistic language in which narrative plays a complex and controversial role. Narratives, they claim, help to make experience intelligible, to crystallize personal identity, and to constitute and nurture community.

The fifteen articles in this collection, organized into sections dealing with memory, identity, and community, are by noted scholars representing a wide variety of disciplines, including philosophy, history, religion, communication, environmental studies, political science, sociology, anthropology, psychology, and law. They advocate diverse political and ideological positions, supporting the editors' belief that because narrative has not been captured by any academic bloc, it has the potential to become a lingua franca of future debates in the human sciences.

About the Author

Lewis P. Hinchman is Professor of Government, Center for Liberal Studies, at Clarkson University. His previous books include Hegel's Critique of the Enlightenment. Sandra K. Hinchman is Professor of Government at St. Lawrence University. Her previous work includes Hiking the Southwest Canyon Country. The two are coeditors of Hannah Arendt: Critical Essays, also published by SUNY Press.