Relational Ethics of Narrative Inquiry

Narrative inquiry is based on the proposition that experience is the stories lived and told by individuals as they are embedded within cultural, social, institutional, familial, political, and linguistic narratives. It represents the phenomenon of experience but also constitutes a methodology for its study. At the heart of this methodology is relational ethics. However, until now the functioning of this key relationship in practice has remained largely undefined. In this book the authors take on the essential task of developing a conceptual framework for the application of relational ethics to narrative inquiry.

Building on a corpus of more generalized research, this book is grounded in a multi-year study with indigenous youth and families. The authors describe their experiences of narrative inquiry, highlighting how relational ethics informed their negotiation of these research relationships. They also engage in a conversation with the work of philosophers who have guided their narrative inquiry to offer a more thorough understanding of relational ethics. Through this, and contributions from five further studies on a diverse range of subjects, a number of key points for successful relational ethics are isolated and expounded upon.

This book is an invaluable tool for researchers and postgraduates engaged in qualitative research ― providing clear and practical guidance on ethical concerns. It also extends the work of the authors’ two previous titles, Engaging in Narrative Inquiry and Engaging in Narrative Inquiries with Children and Youth.

D. Jean Clandinin is Professor Emeritus and Founding Director of the Centre for Research for Teacher Education and Development at the University of Alberta and one of the pioneers of narrative inquiry.

Vera Caine is a Professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta and a Canadian Institutes for Health Research New Investigator.

Sean Lessard is from Montreal Lake Cree Nation in Treaty 6 territory. He is a former schoolteacher. Sean is currently an Associate Professor in Secondary Education at the University of Alberta.