Narrative Research in Health and Illness
BMJ 2005; 330 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.330.7503.1336 (Published 02 June 2005) Cite this as: BMJ 2005;330:1336
- Christopher F C Jordens, research academic (cjordens@med.usyd.edu.au)
- Centre for Values, Ethics and the Law in Medicine, University of Sydney, Australia
Is “narrative” a story, a drama, or a life? Is it a general class of text? According to this collection, narrative can be any of these things—and more. This raises an interesting question. Why do researchers focus on “narrative” when the meaning of the term is so ambiguous and variously interpreted?
Eds Brian Hurwitz, Trisha Greenhalgh, Vieda Skultans
Blackwell and BMJ Books,£45, pp 456
ISBN 0 7279 1792 7
Rating: 
The main motivation of this type of research seems to be to counter the social fragmentation that goes with specialisation. Specialisation creates communication barriers between experts and non-experts and also between different tribes of experts. Narrative bridges the …
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