Expanding (and Moving Beyond) Conceptions of “Counter” in the Work of Narrative

• In Event: Critical Counter-Narratives as Transformative Praxis in Urban Teaching and Learning

Abstract

Objective:
This paper aims to examine and critique extant literature about how narrative and counter narrative are framed as methodological and conceptual tools (Author, 2013, 2020; Morris, 2008). The paper will problematize traditional notions of “master” narrative and propose different analytic spaces of narrative as tools to more accurately describe experiences and practices with / of marginalized communities.
Theoretical Framework:
The analysis is grounded in critical theories and narrative as conceptualized from critical race theory (Author, 2008; Delgado, 1995; Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995) that emphasize the importance and legitimacy of the voices and lived experiences from marginalized communities of color.
Method and Data Sources
This is a conceptual review that builds on extant research. Major data sources will include published empirical and conceptual studies on counter-narratives, narrative methods, and critical storytelling that are in relation to educational equity and racial justice.
Results
Drawing from a careful review of research, five categorical tools that can be useful in describing people, moving discourse away from (or at best troubling) polarized master narratives and counter narrative dichotomy – even among diverse communities: Popular Narratives, Congruent Narratives, Nuanced Narratives, Vulnerable Narratives, and Courageous Narratives. Examples and recommendations are considered about how these explanatory frames might be used to advance research agendas committed to justice.
Significance:
The analysis is significant because it potentially pushes the field forward with deeper conceptual tools to describe human experience and practices. Implications for theory will allow for additional tools of naming and explaining experiences.
References:
Author et al., 2013
Author, 2020
Delgado, R (Ed.) (1995a). Critical race theory: The cutting edge. Temple University Press.
Ladson-Billings G., Tate W. (1995). Toward a critical race theory of education. Teachers College Record, 97(1), 47–68.
Morris J. E. (2008). Research, ideology, and the Brown decision: Counter-narratives to the historical and contemporary representation of Black schooling. Teachers College Record, 110(4), 713–732.

Author

• Rich Milner, Vanderbilt University