ABSTRACT
Narratives are a basic mode of understanding and sharing of experience, and one of the most constitutive genres of human linguistic communication. In this chapter, we present an overview of contributions and future directions for narrative analysis in migration studies looking at different approaches, methodologies, and objects of study within sociolinguistics and other disciplines concerned with discourse in society. We begin with general definitions and considerations of the multiple roles that narratives carry in social life. We then proceed to discuss two key areas of study: (1) research on identities and representations by and about migrants, and (2) research on migrants’ storytelling practices within institutions and communities. This categorization and further subdivisions within these broad areas will be discussed following the general introduction.
