ABSTRACT
Complexity theory has increasingly become applied to non-mathematical areas of research, particularly in the social sciences. Byrne’s argument for applying complexity theory to sociology “is founded around this idea of resonance, of hearing echoes of the chaos/complexity account in accounts of social reality which were written without explicit reference to it’ (1998, 10). Resonances can also be found in much of the language and assumptions of social narrative theory as applied to studies of translation (Baker 2006; Harding 2012a), suggesting that a rich methodology may arise from combining elements of the two theories. Several terms (for example, frames and framing, elements, actors, agency, metanarrative, causation, networks, connections, and relationships) are common to both complexity and narrative. Other resonances include the interdependence of the observer and the observed; a holistic approach that looks at systems and sets of systems, including the fractal/self-similarity of systems; non-linear relations, changes, and rich interactions, particularly the idea that very small changes can effect great changes; and the importance of time and space.
This speculative chapter is an early, exploratory investigation of these resonances, which are described in the conclusion to my book Beslan: six stories of the siege, (Manchester University Press 2012) but which could be taken further. How, for example, can complexity help us theorize about the ways in which (translated) narratives connect and interact with each other and with the social and political worlds in which they are elaborated? Why do some narratives come to enjoy greater currency and dominance over others? What changes to which narrative elements might affect the greatest change to an overall narrative, that is, how do we change some of the most firmly entrenched and often destructive narratives of our societies? By bringing these resonances to the forum of this collection, the chapter aims to initiate discussion about how engaging with both complexity and narrative theory might enrich both approaches.
