Storytelling

This entry explicates the notion of a strategic narrative by describing the development of the concept, by delineating its core features, and by discussing its central functions. Its beginnings can be traced to a broader narrative turn within the humanities and social sciences. As the concept traveled across disciplinary boundaries, it constantly evolved and expanded. Today, the notion of a narrative has become so broad that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish from concepts like discourse. To capture what is peculiar about strategic narratives, it is useful to focus on what was traditionally seen as the core features of narratives, such as diachronicity, and its central functions, such as its ability to frame aspects of a perceived reality by (re)drawing the boundaries of where a story is seen to begin and end.