Homo narrans in action: towards a narrative praxeology

Abstract

Narrative can be approached as a discursive genre (the story, with its structure and rules) or as a social activity, that is, as a situated, embodied practice oriented toward an-interlocutor. This article adopts the second perspective and develops it from a praxeological approach, in dialogue with Dewey, Schön, and the tradition of contemporary narrative studies. The central argument maintains that narration and praxis are constitutively intertwined: practice is understood by narrating it, and narration is transformed when rigorous praxeological reflection is applied to it. To develop this argument, the article examines four dimensions of narration as a form of life: its historical situatedness, its multimodal and polyphonic character, its performativity, and its dual identity valency. From there, it articulates Ricoeur's theory of narrative identity with the praxeological notion of agency and projects the theoretical framework toward its methodological implications in the Latin American context. The article concludes by proposing narrative praxeology as a situated, reflexive research program oriented toward the transformation of practices.