The tradition of personal storytelling, the narrative superhighway and notions of authority in the public debate on climate change

Wilson, Mike (2013) The tradition of personal storytelling, the narrative superhighway and notions of authority in the public debate on climate change. In: Storytelling Today: Instrument, Tradition and Art, 6 - 7 September 2013, University of the Algarve, Portugal.

Abstract / Summary

Conference Summary: Storytelling is something that we have done for a very long time and in the most varied ways. From rock carvings to 3D cinema, mankind insists in telling its own stories. Among all forms, oral communication, due to its colloquial and ephemeral nature and because it has only left vague impressions in writing, has seldom earned the attention it deserves. On the other hand, in the last three decades, the act of oral storytelling has become an artistic practice recognised and included in school curricula, libraries, theatres and many other cultural spaces. The interest and visibility that this activity has conquered has made several artists and researchers talk about its "rebirth", thereby establishing a kinship with traditional narration practice. The different contexts in which the activity has been able to assert itself worldwide have contributed for its organization under different paradigms and designations, such as verbal art, discourse art (récit), performance art, oral communication phenomenon, cultural performance and drama subgenre. Consequently, it has earned the attention of several disciplines.

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