Narratives and Interpretation

Kristof Van Assche; Monica Gruezmacher

doi:10.1017/9781009620994.003

2 - Narratives and Interpretation

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 March 2026

Kristof Van Assche and

Monica Gruezmacher

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Kristof Van Assche: Affiliation:
University of Alberta
Monica Gruezmacher: Affiliation:
University of Alberta

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Summary

In this chapter, we delve deeper into the realm of stories, or narratives. This endeavor is particularly worthwhile if we acknowledge that our knowledge of the world is largely shaped by narratives. We discuss several functions of narrative which are relevant to our study of sustainability leadership, in and through governance. Narratives create meaning, they define problems, solution and methods and they connect values, feelings and ideas. Even more fundamentally, narratives create community, which involves patterns of openness and closure, of inclusion and exclusion. We develop a succinct theory of interpretation to extend our understanding of stories and their roles in governance and community, with special emphasis on the concepts of genre, audience and medium, the structuring of time through stories and the position of stories that select other stories and keep them in place: master narratives.

Keywords

narrative master narrative genre medium style interpretive theory semiotics,

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Type: Chapter
Information: Leadership for Sustainability
Myth, Metaphor and Narrative in Governance
, pp. 30 - 67
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009620994.003 [Opens in a new window]
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2026

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