ABSTRACT
Root Narrative Theory is best remembered is it eponymic form, Hobbes, Locke, Marx, and Fanon. These four virtuoso political storytellers are taken as emblematic of the “big four” root narrative categories. Although none of the four virtuosi are perfect representatives of the canonical root narratives, in this chapter the match between the ideas of the great theorists and their root narratives is demonstrated. The chapter uses excerpts from Hobbes’s Leviathan to show how the Defense, Unity, and Stability root narratives present in conflict data. It uses excerpts from Locke’s Second Treatise on Government and his Letter on Toleration to show how the Consent, Property, and Merit narratives present. It uses Marx’s Selected Writings to demonstrate how the Reciprocity, Nation, and Accountability narratives present. Finally, it uses Fanon’s Black Skin, White Masks, and The Wretched of the Earth to demonstrate how the Recognition, Liberation, and Inclusion narratives present.
