Book Description

The chapters in this book reflect on the practice of using narratives to understand individual and social reality. They all reveal dimensions of the same concrete reality: contemporary society of Central South Africa. Except for two, all the chapters originated from research in the program The Narrative Study of Lives, situated in the Department of Sociology at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa. Each chapter opens a window on an aspect of everyday life in Central South Africa. Each window displays the capacity of the narrative as a methodological tool in qualitative research to open up better understandings of everyday experience. The chapters also reflect on the epistemological journey towards unwrapping and breaking open of meaning. Narratives are one of many tools available to sociologists in their quest to understand and interpret meaning. But, when it comes to deep understanding, narratives are particularly effective in opening up more intricate levels of meaning associated with emotions, feelings, and subjective experiences.

Authors: Jan K. Coetzee, University of the Free State; Asta Rau, University of the Free State; Magdalena Wojciechowska, University of Lodz; P. Conrad Kotze, University of the Free State; Alessandra K. Heggenstaller, University of the Free State; Anne Ryen, University of Agder; Ria Smit, Lone Star College; Zukiswa Majali, University of the Free State; Phokeng T. Setai, University of the Free State; Christoph Maeder, University of Zurich; Leane Ackermann, University of the Free State; Sello J. Sele, University of the Free State; Florian Elliker, University of St. Gallen; Cornie Groenewald, Stellenbosch University; Sethulego Z. Matebesi, University of the Free State; Michael Kok, University of the Free State; Ndakaitei Chikonzo, University of the Free State; Amanda Young-Hauser, Massey University; Naomi Yvonne Mbelekani, Technical University of Munich; Seithati Rafoneke; Pia H. Bülow, Jönköping University; Penny Jaffray, University of Fort Hare; Ntombizonke A. Gumede, Africa Health Research Institute; Malilimala Moletsane, University of the Free State; Melissa Kelly, University of the Free State