Narrative, Discourse, Representation & Social Change

British Psychological Society Social Psychology Section

&

Centre for Narrative Research

University of East London

Narrative, Discourse, Representation & Social Change

A Day Workshop

Monday December 10th, 10am-4.30pm

BPS Office, Room 10, 30 Tabernacle Street, London

Many contemporary UK social psychologists, as well as community, clinical and
health psychologists, and sociologists, do research on narrative, discourse
and social representations. Often, this work makes implicit or explicit
arguments about its relations to social change. This day workshop offers an
opportunity to address, theoretically and methodologically, some of the
questions that arise around the relationship between representations and
social change, such as:

· Do narratives, discourses and social
representations offer a window onto social change?

· Do language structures inflect our telling
of social change, and if so how?

· Under what conditions might narrative,
discourse or social representations impel or support social change, and at
what levels?

· Do personal stories have to be working
together with more general social cultural and political representations in
order for social change to occur?

· Is representational change itself social
change?

· What theoretical formulations of social
change are appropriate within this debate?

· What are possible and useful theoretical
frameworks, within which personal narratives and social change may be brought
together?

In two morning and afternoon sessions, respected researchers in the field
will give brief presentations of their own approach to the issue, with
examples from their empirical research. Each session will be followed by
questions and small-group discussion, and there will be a concluding plenary
discussion.

Presenters: Molly Andrews, UEL: Caroline Howarth, LSE; Ann Phoenix, Thomas
Coram Institute; Cathy Riessman, Boston College and UEL; Mark Rapley, UEL;
Stephanie Taylor, Open University

To register, please complete and send by post the form below, with cheque, by
Friday November 16

Registration: £40; Section members and graduate students: £20.

Registration includes coffee, tea, and lunchtime sandwiches

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