Methods Mondays: Narrative Research Methods

Methods Mondays: Narrative Research Methods: Deconstructing the Conflict Saturated Stories that Shape our Lives

Weaving together strands of Literary Criticism, New Historicism, and Narratology, Dr. Stauffer will discuss how the production of social-political narratives plays a critical role in escalating and/or de-escalating violence in conflict contexts. Stauffer will explore the concepts of historical “silences and mentions” (Trouillot), “chosen traumas and chosen glories” (Volkan) and Trauma-genic events (Hooker) in the case of Zimbabwe. Applying a dramaturgical lens (plot, script, actors, stage, audience, and props) to political violence sheds light on the manufacturing and management of violence narratives for nefarious political ends.

Speaker: Dr. Carl Stauffer, Senior Expert on Reconciliation, USIP)