Narrative in Crisis Reflections from the Limits of Storytelling

In this volume, distinguished scholars of narrative provide their early attempts - triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic - to understand "crises" from a narrative perspective. They discuss the narrative notions of crises as an ongoing situation, thereby uncovering ideals of stability and certainty as epistemologically questionable psychological concepts. The authors all start with insight into early considerations, from mid-2020, at a time still without vaccines and variants. They revisit their thoughts over the course of the ongoing pandemic and relate their research perspective to autoethnographic and biographical approaches to "crisis narratives." As scholars and citizens, they share vulnerable moments of uncertainty - what we don't know and will not know - and draw on past collective experiences. What did we learn from the Spanish flu? How well do experts and journalists really understand what those numbers are supposed to signify? How unparalleled is the unprecedented experience for individuals who have experienced war, sieges, and previous pandemics? And finally, will we ever learn to live with the virus? The chapters shed light on ambiguities relating to us and the other, rational, and irrational approaches to navigating crises, and other ambivalences, without aiming to solve them. They investigate levels of the individual, academic work, and society and highlight stories of the unknown or yet-to-be known by making them accessible through thorough reflection, pushing back the all-too-simplified stories we hear in everyday discourses.

Martin Dege received PhD and MA degrees in Psychology from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, and a BA from Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, and joined Pratt in 2020. In the past, he has worked at the American University of Paris, the University of Potsdam, the University of Konstanz, the University of Hamburg, and Yale University. Martin is the recipient of various research scholarships, including the Marie Curie Program of the EU, the Fritz-Thyssen Foundation, and the German Academic Scholarship Foundation. Irene Strasser is Assistant Professor at St. Bonaventure University. Her research focuses on lifespan development with an emphasis on care work, adult development and aging. Her work is informed by critical gerontological perspectives, social justice studies, and qualitative approaches, particularly participatory and ethnographic research.