Narrative Analysis

Catherine Kohler Riessman, in this 30th volume of the Sage Qualitative Research Methods Series, has made the method of narrative analysis more systematic and useful for fieldworkers. Building on past approaches, she introduces and illustrates forms of narrative analysis of women's lives and health concerns. Although much has been written about narrative and its role in the study of lives, nothing has been written about the logic of narrative analysis-how to carry it out and why. The author locates herself and her work first in a personal narrative, then illustrates three types of narrative analysis, pointing out their relative strengths and weaknesses. In the third section of the book, she shows how she carries out narrative work, from telling to transcribing to analyzing. Her detailed and clear approach results in an excellent paradigm for others who are struggling with texts rather than weddded to technique. This book is also embedded in Riessman's analyses of divorce narratives and women's situations and health concerns. It is thus a contribution to method and to the substantive study of women's lives and well-being.