’ Introduction Theory and Craft in Narrative Inquiry

Yet even those who acknowledge the importance of the broader context wrestle with questions about how to study the complex interactions among changing cultural, historical, and developmental factors. . . . Researchers who are particularly interested in cultural factors in development face the challenge of conceptualizing culture in a way that can be studied empirically. . . . A narrative approach is being recognized as a means of examining the ways in which individuals make sense of their lives within a changing sociohistorical context.