Narrativism
Harmful use or misuse of narratives or narrativization. A mindset where real human beings are treated as plot devices or expendable extras, rather than as real people with their own needs and rights. A mindset where the truth is whatever happens to make a good story and fit into the narrative, while a fact or perspective not fitting into the narrative is treated as evidence of that fact not being true or the perspective not being valid. When applied to a category or categorization of human beings, Narrativism is a facet or abstraction of categorism. (In Swedish: narrativism)
Cateities such as Marxism, Liberalism and Christianity can be seen and treated as narratives and narrative frameworks: Great Stories about who we are and what the world revolves around – thus also frameworks for all stories about ourselves and our world. Narratives about conflicts such as between oppressed versus privileged, individual versus tyranny, or Good versus Evil. Such perspectives, great and small, are always produced, reproduced and modified.1 This process can be called narrativization.
Discourse and narrativization are intertwined with each other, since concepts and ways of talking about things are central to how the stories are built and communicated. It may, for example, be popular in a country to portray this country as being, and always having been, The Good Guys. Even when a lot of things that has objectively happened in physical reality does not at all fit into this narrative. To build such a story contrary to facts does not have to require outright lies: It can be done through building a discourse that casts the country in such a positive light and merely implies that the historical facts are consistent with the story.2 Using discourse analysis to uncover underlying narratives opens up interesting possibilities for intersections with narrative analysis. Just like discourse can fall into dichotomism, so can narrativization fall into narrativism - which is to put the story above all else. To ignore all facts that does not conform to the story or declare things to be true on the merit of fitting the story. To dehumanize actual human beings, treating them not as actual persons with their own thoughts and needs but rather as background decorations or as narrative devices.
In the roleplaying theory of Edwards, the word narrativism has positive connotations. This version of the concept is compatible with the definition given above, except that it is limited to fiction. Putting the story above all else is not a bad thing when it is done to the characters of a fictional story rather than to actual human beings with actual needs. Only real humans have real rights, and therein lies the difference between authors and dictators: It is not a crime to let a fictional person or population suffer or perish for the sake of dramatic tension and building a good story. It is not untrue to declare a fictional world to be any way you prefer it to be. Putting the story above all else is not dishonest when it is done to a world that doesn't exist in physical reality, but only exists in internal and social realities where it exist only to be the setting for the story. It is all good and well to have your own story, your own narrative. But it is problematic to put it above other people's stories and narratives, or to put it above the physical reality through which you share the world with other people.
Narrativism is a facet of categorism when applied to a category of people, and an abstraction of categorism when applied to a categorization of people.
Interactions
This facet of categorism is an expression of prejudice and bigotry.
It is likely to intersect with facets such as:
- Biased Balance: Building a story about how certain injustice are "fair and balanced".
- Narrempiry: Provide a story, and show that the claim fits into it.
- Violence: Narratives justifying violence against feminine persons (women, as well as supposedly unmanly men), building a story about how she was supposedly "asking for it".
As well as with abstractions such as:
- Categorization by narrativism: People are identified with the category only as long as they fit the narrative role assigned to it.
Examples of applying this facet to a particular foci of categorism can include:
- Sexism: Confining men or women or both to certain narrative roles.