PERSONAL EXPERIENCE NARRATIVES

2019 ◽  
pp. 174-182
Ethnologies ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie C. Kane ◽  
Harriet E. Manelis Klein

The polysemic term “gringo” inevitably mediates the negotiation of cultural identity for anthropologists carrying out fieldwork in Latin America. Drawing on experiences from the authors’ interactions in pursuit of professional goals, this analysis shows how nation, religion, gender, race, and the histories of colonization, migration, and alliance emerge and recede in kaleidoscopic encounters between hemispheric stereotypes and cross-cultural travelers. The intertwined personal experience narratives of ‘gringo-hood’ we present reveal the fractal character of knowledge and experience. This article, therefore, shows how linguistic, cultural, and especially folkloric interactions mediate the various dimensions of our socially situated experiences and the different forms of talk we encountered.


1986 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alynn Day Harvey

“Danger of death” narratives were collected and analyzed for their use of the historical present tense. The historical present tense in these narratives serves as a signal which fingerprints their identity as “danger of death” narratives and, thus, has a potential application in artificial intelligence programs.


Elore ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Taina Ukkonen

This article focuses on personal experience narration about drug abuse and treatment. The material was elicited from a life-story interview with a young woman called Hannele, who was in substitution treatment meant for opioid users. The approach is material-based: the author has constructed Hannele’s ”drug-story” and compared it with the institutional model narrative about recovery from drug problems. Hereby the author has been influenced by the folkloristic study of personal experience narratives and social scientific research on narratives. The model narrative is commonly known in treatment systems, and it tells us how it is possible to cope with drug problems and return to normal life. The hero of the story is a humble recipient of help and professional treatment, who aims to change his or her lifestyle completely and become fully abstinent. Hannele’s story describes how she started using cannabis, then amphetamine and heroine and how she stopped using them without any professional help. Then the story continues with buprenorphine (Subutex) use, which caused problems and made her apply for treatment. Hannele as the hero of the story is a self-motivated and even obstinate client who defines her treatment goals independently. Her story is a so-called ”short-step story” challenging the traditional model story and its requirement for complete abstinence and a comprehensive change of lifestyle and identity.


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