DISCOVERING IDENTITY AND COMMUNITY THROUGH STORY

Who am I? Where do I belong? What are the accepted norms of behavior for me? A people’s stories help answer these questions; while their stories also help shape their answers. These questions touch on the very core of being – identity, community, culture, etc. Cultural anthropologists, sociologists, ethnographers, and cultural researchers seem to agree that to investigate the idea of self and all that self means, one does it by way of an individual’s stories, along with the stories of his or her historical, societal, and cultural self. It is through these stories that self is revealed – whether the individual self or the “self” of a community, culture or society. At the same time, these experts say that to influence an individual, and ultimately his or her entire culture or society, it is best and most effectively done through stories. This is already proving true in the areas of business management and corporate culture, and in the area of using stories in emotional healing. What do you think and why?