The two authors collaborated on a previous book, Narrative Pedagogy (2011), and they state that the present book builds on that work and is a companion to it. They discuss theory, including mapping the field of critical narrative; autobiographies as critical narrative--ancestral voices, defining the self, developing life themes; and narratives in diverse learning contexts--transforming memories of violence, the healing power of narrative, and biographical learning in higher education. Annotation ©2014 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
Ivor Goodson and Scherto Gill analyse and discuss a series of trans-disciplinary case studies from diverse cultures and argue that narrative is not only a rich and profound way for humans to make sense of their lives, but also in itself a process of pedagogical encounter, learning and transformation. As pedagogic sites, life narratives allow the individual to critically examine their scripts for learning which are encapsulated in their thought processes, discourses, beliefs and values. Goodson and Gill show how narratives can help educators and students shift from a disenfranchised tradition to one of empowerment.
This unique book brings together case studies of life narratives as an approach to learning and meaning-making in different disciplines and cultural settings, including teacher education, adult learning, (auto)biographicalwriting, psychotherapy, intercultural learning and community development. Educators, researchers and practitioners from diverse disciplines will find the case studies collected in this book helpful in expanding their understanding of the potential of narrative as a phenomenon, as methodology, and as pedagogy.
