The Use and Abuse of Stories

Abstract

Abstract This volume explores interpretation as an inevitable aspect of human existence, not only of our everyday lives but also of political debate and of the scholarly exploration of human lives. In the current cultural and political climate, awash in seemingly incommensurable narratives, reflection on narrative interpretation—the field of narrative hermeneutics—has gained new urgency. This volume shows the pertinence of the question of interpretation for current discussions in interdisciplinary narrative studies and for the broader debate that revolves around issues of truth, facts, and narrative. Against the backdrop of these discussions, it examines both the dangers of narrative in the context of what has been dubbed the “post-truth” era and new ways of addressing the inevitability of interpretation. In doing so, it aims to show how narrative hermeneutics can contribute to topical debates in interdisciplinary narrative studies and how it might serve to illuminate, reimagine, and even redress some aspects of the current cultural and political situation. An additional aim of the volume is to bring narrative psychology and literary narrative studies into a more intensive, fruitful dialogue and, in turn, to underscore the relevance of narrative hermeneutics for diverse fields of inquiry. In focusing on the use and abuse of stories across these fields, this volume thus seeks to develop and provide conceptual tools urgently needed for navigating the current cultural and political landscape.