ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the main contributions and challenges that “narrativism” or “narrativist philosophy of history” poses to historical knowledge in general and to the notion of historical reality and historical fact in particular. It pays attention to the reflections produced since the second half of the 20th century on the relationship between history and narration. Its main focus will be on the work of theorists who have offered a sophisticated analysis of narrativity or narrative configurations as cognitive instruments. Moreover, the narrativist programme for philosophy of history elevates the narrative structuring of the past to an invaluable cultural asset in all sorts of disputes. Therefore, this chapter will also refer to thinkers who have offered meta-historical studies on narrativity in literature, cinema, and the history of science. Readers will appreciate the programme as a powerful resource for dealing with the past in academia and in the public sphere. The itinerary of this chapter will lead us away from narrow and naive notions not only of narrative but also of history, rhetoric and literature, fiction, imagination and representation. This will enable us to appreciate “narrative configuration” as an autonomous cognitive instrument (as pointed out by Louis Mink) and as a cognitively responsible argumentative strategy (following Hayden White).
