Book Launch & Lecture: Whose Story? Whose World? Life & Narrative in the Age of Trump

We would like to invite you to celebrate the launch of a recently published book that Professor Brian Schiff co-edited, entitled "Life and Narrative: The Risks and Responsibilities of Storying Experience" (Oxford University Press). The book launch coincides with an invited lecture by Mark Freeman (Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Society and Chair of the Department of Psychology, College of the Holy Cross)

Whose story? Whose world? Life and Narrative in the Age of Trump

The relationship between life and narrative has acquired a special urgency in recent months.  References in the popular media abound to "the narrative"; and yet, of course, "the narrative" can be vastly different for different "readers"--so different that one cannot help but wonder about the disparate worlds people seem to be inhabiting.  Alongside the sheer abundance of narrative talk, questions have emerged about the nature of "facts," about the problem of interpretation, and, not least, about the importance of differentiating true stories and false ones.  The stakes are extremely high--for those who seek to understand the relationship between life and narrative as well as for those seeking to find their way amid a troubling, and potentially dangerous, sociopolitical landscape.  By exploring life and narrative in the age of Trump, we may be better poised to rise to the profound challenges before us. The relationship between life and narrative has acquired a special urgency in recent months. References in the popular media abound to "the narrative"; and yet, of course, "the narrative" can be vastly different for different "readers"--so different that one cannot help but wonder about the disparate worlds people seem to be inhabiting.  Alongside the sheer abundance of narrative talk, questions have emerged about the nature of "facts," about the problem of interpretation, and, not least, about the importance of differentiating true stories and false ones. The stakes are extremely high--for those who seek to understand the relationship between life and narrative as well as for those seeking to find their way amid a troubling, and potentially dangerous, sociopolitical landscape. By exploring life and narrative in the age of Trump, we may be better poised to rise to the profound challenges before us.