Narrative Matters

A different kind of conference on narrative.

Every two years Narrative Matters brings together researchers and practitioners from across the world — and across disciplines — to discuss how narrative intersects with their work.

The conference was founded in 2002 when WiIliam Randall, Professor of Gerontology, and Dolores Furlong, Professor of Nursing, found themselves interested in narrative but outside the traditional disciplines that typically studied it.

Narrative Matters — and, later, its sister publication Narrative Works — were founded to provide a home to conversations about narrative that didn’t fit neatly within established disciplines, instead straddling disciplines and cutting across conventional academic boundaries.

The Narrative Matters conference welcomes participants with diverse definitions of “narrative” to continue the conference’s open and inclusive tradition.

Read about the vision and history of the conference on the Narrative Matters 2023 website.

Narrative Matters Steering Committee: William Randall, Hanna Meretoja, Mark Freeman, Anneke Sools and Brian Schiff.

2023

TBD.

2025

2022

2018

The ABCs of Narrative
Twente, The Netherlands.

Narrative Knowing
Paris, France

Life and Narrative
Paris, France

Exploring the Narrative Landscape
Fredericton, NB, Canada.

Storying our World
Toronto, Canada.

Inaugural
Fredericton, NB, Canada

2016

2014

2012

2010

2008

2006

2004

2002

Past Speakers

  • Derrick P. Alridge

    2022

  • Molly Andrews

    2022

  • Bob Barton

    2006

  • John Bateman

    2018

  • Mary Catherine Bateson

    2002

  • Jens Beckert

    2023

  • Jacques Bouveresse

    2014

  • Jerome Bruner

    2012

  • Sharon Butala

    2004

  • Marco Caracciolo

    2018

  • Philippe Carrard

    2014

  • Rita Charon

    2008

  • Jean Clandinin

    2010

  • Sujatha Fernandes

    2023

  • Robyn Fivush

    2006

  • Arthur Frank

    2022

  • Mark Freeman

    2002, 2004 & 2012

  • Alexandra Georgakopoulou

    2012

  • Kenneth Gergen

    2010

  • Mary Gergen

    2010

  • Halleh Ghorashi

    2018

  • Daniel Hutto

    2018

  • Dr. Ruthellen Josselson

    2010 & 2022

  • David Kuhl

    2002

  • Tone Kvernbekk

    2004

  • Peter Lamarque

    2023

  • Dan P. McAdams

    2022

  • Hanna Meretoja

    2022

  • James Pennebaker

    2008

  • James Phelan

    2012

  • Ann Phoenix

    2023

  • Donald Polkinghorne

    2014

  • William Randall

    2022

  • Arie Rip

    2018

  • R. Murray Schafer

    2006

  • Brian Schiff

    2022

  • Karen Skerrett

    2022

  • Gerben J. Westerhof

    2022

  • Isabel Wilkerson

    2022