ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces some theoretical methodological issues and definitions of narrative analysis. It focuses on studies that conceive of political narratives as grand narratives that are either controlled by, or reflect the influence of, politically powerful agents such as governments, international organisms or mainstream media. The chapter discusses work on the conflicts between expected narrative contents and forms and actual storytelling needs and practices in institutional settings. It also discusses how narrative analysis has contributed to the study of political discourse by looking, for example, at studies about the use of stories and anecdotes as instruments of persuasion in the discourse of politicians and in media aligned with political parties. The chapter reviews work that has illuminated the way narratives are used to make sense of political issues in different domains. It also focuses on studies that come from different theoretical methodological approaches showing how they have contributed to understanding ways in which narratives turn the personal into the political.
