Across the humanities, the social sciences, and even the medical sciences, there has been an exciting and significant shift in recent years. Referred to by some as “the narrative turn”, it is having a profound impact on thinking and practice alike within a wide range of fields.

Like its predecessor, Narrative Matters 2002, Narrative Matters 2004 is a unique experience in which theorists and practitioners, researchers and students from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines will have the opportunity to enjoy conversation and together explore the importance of narrative - or story - in countless aspects of human life.

Organized by faculty and students from St. Thomas University and the University of New Brunswick, and featuring an array of keynote addresses and pre-conference workshops, Narrative Matters 2004 will take place from May 20 to May 23, 2004, at the Delta Hotel in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.

The following are just a few of the many broad areas on which, as in 2002, presentations are apt to be made, and on which proposals are welcomed for 2004:

• The place of story in education, literature, politics, religion, and the media
• Narrative and diversity (e.g., culture, ethnicity, gender, age)
• Collecting and analyzing stories as data in qualitative research
• Narrative perspectives on memory, identity, and community
• Understanding and using our stories as reflective practitioners
• Narratives in therapeutic processes and relationships
• The storied construction and complexity of everyday life