摘要：As a result of the general growth in the interest in narratives different
conception of what a story is and how to analyze has emerged. One especially
interesting and methodological relevant difference is between the conception of
narratives as textual objects and narratives as part of a storytelling event.
The paper discusses the theoretical differences between these two analytical
approaches to narratives. An example from my own research on Alzheimer's
patients telling stories illustrate the possibilities of using a performative
and micro ethnographic approach to the study of storytelling in order to
understand the functions of narratives - especially in relation to identity
work. If stories not only are thought of as representations of events it becomes
possible to view stories and story telling as social action: social states are
both established, negotiated and changed through stories. This is especially
important in the field of health and illness where diseases almost always are
embedded in conversations and the telling of why and how symptoms were
discovered or traumas received. For many patients and persons with especially
communicative disabilities story telling is a challenge, but also an opportunity
to actually master, maintain and often transform their identities.
关键词：Narrative; Methodology; Identity; Performance; Ethnography; Video analysis
