ABSTRACT
The use of narrative is attractive in a post-modern world-view for a number of reasons. For feminists, Ricoeur offers an understanding of narrative as a way of constructing identity which can break through the impasse of the rejection of the essential, rationalist self, and the lack of autonomy and agency which this brings. Writers on ritual frequently see a connection between ritual and story. The creation of identity through narrative and story-making, although it has strong resonances with the individual sense of self, is not purely about the individual. The stories which women tell are both shaped by, and resist, the wider cultural and political narratives in which they are embedded. The place of story in feminist theology is indebted to narrative theology, but it uses story in a distinct way. Narrative theology speaks of a divine story—a story that is clearly plotted and provides a coherent framework to make sense of human lives.
