Hayden White and the Reinterpretation of Narrativism: Post-Narrativism and Narrative Constructivism as Contemporary Theoretical Horizons

Abstract

This article critically examines the impact of Hayden White’s narrativism on the theory of history, as well as the reformulations that have emerged from Jouni-Matti Kuukkanen’s post-narrativism and Kalle Pihlainen’s narrative constructivism. My hypothesis is that these re-interpretations of White’s proposal allow us to move beyond the idea of a single true narrative. Instead, they propose the writing of history as a culturally bounded practice, open to intersubjective discussion and ethically committed with the problems of the contemporary world