One of the central functions of narrative is the ability to create and shape worlds. Certainly, narrative can provide the resources for producing shared worlds in order to develop commonly held meanings. But a shared world is not the only possible consequence. Narratives can also establish competing versions of the world, which sometimes divide persons and groups so deeply that they can appear to be occupying different realities.
Of course, persons and groups have always inhabited disparate worlds. However, the protracted violent wars raging across the globe, new modes of communication and technologies, multiplication of sources, and the rise of political extremism seem to have exacerbated the situation, fracturing groups and calcifying existing divisions. The result is that disparate narrative worlds with alternative facts and multiple truths form the contours of our everyday reality.
Please submit your paper or panel proposals by 15 October 2024 at www.aup.edu/narrative-matters-2025
Please note that we ask participants to submit only one proposal. Panel proposals are particularly welcome.
The abstract for an individual paper should be 250-300 words. Panel proposals (with 3-4 speakers and a panel chair) should include a brief general description and short abstracts for each paper. In addition to the proposal text, please include a 100 word biographical statement for each speaker.
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Questions should be addressed to narrativematters2025 [at] gmail.com (narrativematters2025[at]gmail[dot]com)