Narratives on the Process of Problem Finding and Solving

抄録

This paper aims to illuminate the process of problem finding and problem solving based on storytelling and the role played by a researcher in the process. For this purpose, it first summarizes researches based on storytelling with a focus on the relation between the storyteller and the listener, which is an important aspect in analyzing the process. Second, it introduces two narratives of the urban poor, restructured by the author. The first is about a woman in the Philippines who was a social movement leader during the Marcos era, and is currently a city officer. The other is a story about an issue related to social enterprises in Korea. By considering these cases from the viewpoint described in the first part, the paper presents the following conclusions. The fact that a researcher as a listener is not included directly in the problem contributes significantly to clarifying a storyteller’s intention and conscious; a contradiction and changes of memories in the stories are often used to justify itself, and they become key clues to understanding people’s thoughts and taking steps to deal with the problem in the future; and research and practice can collaborate using storytelling as a catalyst.