We each inherit narrative maps—stories passed down that tell us who we are, where we belong, and which way is forward.
These narrative maps help us make sense of our terrain. They can make one way forward look natural, even inevitable, while obscuring other routes or making them appear risky. When we hold too tightly to a single narrative map, we assume our way is the only way to get where we want to go.
When we step back and examine our narrative maps, we can begin to ask: Where did my map come from? Who drew it? What did they have in mind? What did they leave off? And what assumptions do I make when I follow it? This is how we start to think narratively.
Explore the Practice Guide
The Guide below examines how the stories people use to make sense of the world shape what becomes visible, legitimate, and possible in democratic life. Use this guide as a companion to the video. In it, you will be invited to surface the narratives shaping how you read a given situation, recognize the narrative conditions shaping democratic life, and come away with concepts and practices you can bring into your own work toward a more pluralistic, democratic future.
