Short Abstract:

There is a politics of unwriting narratives: changing actors and agency, ascribing new morals and intentions, adding and excluding episodes. We invite to reflect on ‘narrative ontologies’ and ‘grand narratives’ through unwriting in multiple forms such as counter-narratives or regret narratives.

Long Abstract:

Fieldwork within folkloristic and ethnological research is a complex endeavour that might require re-evaluating and reflecting on the notions of "narrative ontologies" and "grand narratives". How is reality (re-)constructed and unwritten through stories? Narratives of unwriting can be conversion stories and coming out – stories, having the quality of negating previous stories of self. They can be the stories of collective shame and guilt, or the hastily made-up explanations in a crisis management. There is a politics of unwriting narratives: changing actors and agency, ascribing new morals and intentions, adding new episodes and excluding others.

Unwritings and revisions may produce the problem of handling palimpsests: covering up or incorporating the unwanted facts that are still there, such as in the “stigmatized vernacular” of problematic heritage. Unwriting can also be a handling of life stories: re-evaluating and disqualifying what earlier was seen as turning points and decisive moments.

We invite contributions that reflect on unwriting narratives as a general practice in society at large and what forms this takes, such as reinventions, remakes, counter-narratives, revision narratives, regret narratives, pseudo-regret narratives (that mimic a decent level of shame but never admit anything).

This Panel+Roundtable has so far received 4 contribution proposal(s).
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