Analyzing narratives in qualitative research: notes on the use of autobiographical narratives in studies of social sciences and humanities

Abstract

The present theoretical-methodological essay, guided by a narrative review of the scientific literature, discusses the use of autobiographical narratives as a data source in qualitative research in the Social Sciences and Humanities. Highlighting the diversity in narrative research, the aim is to observe and emphasize how they are discursive constructions that reconstruct historical times and spaces, varying according to different schools of thought. Thus, the contemporary relevance of narrative studies is discussed and emphasized, in dialogue with a variety of authors who explore this method. It is concluded that research with narratives, especially when autobiographical, is considered an approach of fundamental importance in understanding human experience - and the method of Autobiographical Narrative Analysis is presented, especially as an approach chosen for the study in question. In summary, the study emphasizes the subjectivity in narratives in their significantly collective dimension, and reaffirms the importance of contextualizing them in social, economic, political, historical, cultural, and environmental dynamics.