Dr. Taylan Yildiz delivers a presentation on the state of the art of narrative research in political science
In the framework of the SDAC lecture series Dr. Taylan Yildiz, who is an expert on narrative research at the NRW School of Governance (University of Duisburg-Essen), shared some insights from his latest research on January 17, 2020. In the last ten years, the interest in the role of narratives in politics has increased. The discipline of International Relations analyses narratives in the form of discourses, myths, and ideologies.
By contrast, political scientists in the field of policy analysis conceive of narratives in the form of frames, arguments, and scripts. Drawing on literary studies, linguistic anthropology, and sociology, Dr. Yildiz invites us to conceive narratives as a new intermediate concept that could overcome the strict dichotomy of actor and structure to understand decision-making processes. In his lecture, Dr. Yildiz demonstrated the potential of his approach by giving several examples from his field research. The lecture was very well-received by the students, and sparked a lively discussion about how authoritarian regimes make use of narratives to manipulate the public.