Posted: 16th June 2021

Reflections on storytelling with Nerina Finetto

There are many definitions of a story, in terms of form, function, and the phenomena that occur when a story is told, retold and shared. Of the thousands of ways in which we might seek to define and recognise a story, Cynthia Kurtz’s speaks clearly to the ways in which stories and storytelling are central to our approach to Future Narratives.

A story is a recounting of events based on emotional experience from a perspective.

Cynthia Kurtz

Nerina Finetto, director of Traces&Dreams and co-ordinator of the Future Narratives project, began to open up this definition at our first staff training event in April 2021. She explored with us the complex and multi-layered ways in which stories shape our experiences of the world, and have the potential to reshape our futures. From this perspective, the emotional experiences involved in telling and listening to stories are key; research has shown that storytelling actually affects our brain chemistry, triggering empathy and curiosity, and bringing people together through shared experience. We are all storytellers, and when a story is told and heard new forms of connection and understanding become possible at personal, societal and mythic levels.

We are, as a species, addicted to stories.

Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling stories.

Jonathan Gottschall

The stories we tell ourselves

We all live in stories, although we are not always aware of the extent to which stories surround and define us. Throughout every day, we tell ourselves stories about what is happening to us, what has happened to us, and the dreams we have for the future.

From birth, we become ‘active, impassioned meaning-makers in search of plausible Stories.’ These stories help with making the meaning of our lives and lie behind any purposeful activity. They help us shape our individual and collective identities – who we are.

Would we know how to live our lives without access to meaningful stories about ourselves and others?

Ivana Milojević

Stories do not only define our understanding of our own lives, but also allow us to connect to others. As emotional and cultural beings, we can only think meaningfully about our role in the world when we feel that our identity is understood and valued by those around us.

The stories we share

Our cultures and societies are founded on stories. We use stories not only to communicate with others, but also to create our communities, seeking to understand what is our culture and what are our common identities.

Narratives play a critical function in defining communities’ identities and their relationship to the world: “I can only answer the question, ‘What am I here to do?’ if I can answer the prior question, ‘Of what story or stories do I find myself a part?’ Children grow into adults by learning stories, and so do nations and communities.

Alisdair MacIntyre

Stories build our communities, and also offer a way through which we can enter other worlds. A conversation based on stories is one of the most powerful methods through which people from diverse cultures can connect and communicate. When we ask where we come from, and where we might call home, how we relate to a place and how we might relate to other places, stories offer us a way to make sense of the larger narratives in which we live.

The stories we create

Humans are natural born storytellers. Stories allow us not only to imagine new possibilities, but to do so together, and the reality in which we live exists only because of our ability to imagine collectively. Archaeological discoveries from around the world have shown that from our earliest history, we created and shared stories with each other, through art, architecture, and technological innovation. The power of stories to create our reality continues to be evident; narratives surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic have shown the extent to which the frames through which we understand our experiences shape our understanding of our pasts, presents, and futures.

The past is always remembered and the present observed selectively. Such selective processing is most commonly in line with the anticipated futures, both feared and hoped for.

Stories from the past inform the present predicament, which in turn informs how people recall their pasts and envision their futures.

Narrative is used to organise this interrelationship.

Ivana Milojević

Stories allow us to think about the past, reflect on the present, and imagine a future. More than this, sharing stories allows us to understand that ours is not the only reality, and by understanding the subjective nature of our perceptions we can become aware of the dominant narratives that govern our lives. This understanding can enable us to change not only our personal narratives, but also the cultural and mythic narratives in which we live.

Inclusion is not bringing people into what already exists; it is making a new space, a better space for everyone.”

George Dei

Though the Future Narratives project, we hope to harness the power of stories to imagine a future which is more inclusive, more sustainable, and more equitable. To make this future possible, we need to imagine a new space together, learning to ask again about the past and the present to collectively create a better future for all.

If we want a future for all, it cannot be imagined only by some.

Nerina Finetto