Careers, identities and institutions: the promise of narrative analysis

This chapter reflects on narrative analysis as a method for careers researchers to gain insights into identities, institutions, and individual behavior consistent with early scholars’ broad conception of careers. After briefly discussing the relationship between institutions, identities, and careers, the paper outlines how studying narratives allow for an inquiry into meaning-making across time, institutional, and organizational boundaries as careers take place over the life course, not solely within organizations. The chapter then discusses what constitutes narrative research, illustrating with examples from studies that have been conducted with narrative methods. It goes on to consider issues around the types of topics for which narrative methods are suitable and illuminates the potential for narrative techniques to deepen understanding about how oppressive social structures influence the careers of members of marginalized and stigmatized social identity groups. Finally, the chapter explores the suitability of different data collection and analytical methods.