In an increasingly polarised world, where scientific knowledge is at once revered, repackaged and rejected, the act of sharing stories has the potential to bring opposing groups into a state of mutuality. Narrative analysis - as a theoretical-methodological tool (Biar, Orton & Bastos, 2021) is thus capable of stretching both disciplinary boundaries and "boundaries of meaning" (Gergen & Gergen, 2006, p.117), creating possibilities for dialogue. An ethical commitment to the reduction of social exclusion and human suffering further requires placing stories produced by oft-silenced tellers at the centre of research, so that issues long side-lined may be afforded greater visibility. Yet in so doing, research practitioners engage in storytelling practices themselves, since isolated elements such as recorded data, and field notes are woven together to form a coherent whole. It is therefore vital that such meaning making processes are subject to scrutiny. Grounded in a perspective of narrative as performance, I suggest that the sharing of research narratives - be this with participants, peers, or the general public - may be seen as narrative events (Bauman, 1986), crucial junctures at which these metanarratives may be reworked (Orton, 2021). This paper thus aims to reflect on the potential for new meanings to emerge during these events, as well as the ways in which these processes are inflected with relations of power. Taking a recently completed (auto)ethnographic investigation into the gender dynamics of a social movement in Rio de Janeiro as a case study (Orton & Biar, 2020, 2021), I argue that the active involvement of participants has the potential to yield fresh meanings, which might otherwise be overlooked. That said, participants may underestimate the power of representation harnessed by researchers, thereby failing to take full advantage of opportunities to redress this asymmetry. This can be attributed to the shifting terrain of power relations in which a myriad of social roles may be foregrounded, and traditionally recognised positions of practitioner/participant readjusted. Nevertheless, discussions post publication may enable further reflections on practice as analyses are (re)evaluated from new angles. Such findings suggest that researchers should continue to seek out such opportunities, both throughout and beyond publication. This could enable more complete research narratives to be shaped as participants and practitioners move closer to a state of mutuality.
Bauman, Richard. (1986). Story, performance and event: contextual studies of oral narrative. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Biar, Liana, Orton, Naomi & Bastos, Liliana Cabral. (2021). Tales from South: Doing narrative analysis in a "post-truth" Brazil. Narrative Inquiry 31(1):126-146.
Gergen, Mary & Gergen, Kenneth. (2006). Narratives in action. Narrative Inquiry 16(1):112-121.
Orton, Naomi & Biar, Liana. (2020). Horizontality and gender in contemporary social movements: Narrative practice as a means of resistance. Narrative Inquiry 30(2):236-270.
Orton, Naomi & Biar, Liana. (2021). Putting gender on the agenda in Rio de Janeiro: subtly switching gears in discussions of bicycle advocacy. Gender & Language 15(4): 447-475.
Orton, Naomi. (2021). "Myths", "truths" and the role of Applied Linguistics in contemporary society. Trabalhos em Linguística Aplicada 60(2):455-466.
