Focus on: Narrative Dynamics

Stories don’t exist in isolation but are influenced by, respond to, and interact with other stories in different ways. Narrative dynamics is best understood as an umbrella term for all kinds of relationships, hostile or symbiotic, competitive or complementary, local or global, between narrative phenomena.

A narrative dynamics perspective views the public sphere as an environment, ecosystem or market where ideas, values, beliefs, attitudes, worldviews and norms are circulated, modified, negotiated, and exchanged in complex transactions which can’t be reduced to a binary logic of narrative and counter-narrative. Originally developed for the study of migration narratives, the concept has recently been expanded to cover phenomena like post-truth storytelling, conspiracy theories, fake news, toxic narratives, and propaganda to account for current crises and uncertainties.

Narrative Dynamics blends art and politics, generating new narratives, and it can be loud, too: On June 6, 2024, French Hip Hop came to Wuppertal. Beatrice Schuchardt, professor of Romance Studies, organized an international colloquium titled “Le hip-hop francophone et français comme indicateur et moteur de transformations”, with a round table discussion and a concert on campus.