Parallel narratives: Analyses beyond the disciplinary boundaries

This paper examines various disciplinary interpretations of the concept of narrative and argues for the analytical potential of a transdisciplinary approach. While the “narrative turn” became prominent in a number of disciplines, including literary studies, sociolinguistics, history, sociology, psychology and legal studies, it also stimulated a growing interest in research that crossed conventional disciplinary boundaries. Building on this development, the study identifies shared conceptual foundations among different approaches and demonstrates how a transdisciplinary perspective can deepen our understanding of complex individual and collective experiences. Within the framework of this paper, transdisciplinarity is operationalized through the methodology of narrative interview as developed by Schütze and Rosenthal and illustrated through a detailed case study of the life-history narrative of a Hungarian woman. Her account provides insight into lived experiences of democracy, situated within broader historical and social contexts marked by Jewish heritage, otherness and the Apartheid. The analysis shows that life narratives not only reflect but also reconfigure social and historical processes, often in unconscious ways. The article concludes that transdisciplinary narrative analysis can contribute to a more reflexive and critical practice of sociological inquiry, particularly in the study of identity, trauma and politics.