Case Study - Narrative and Case Study

Narrative and Case Study

Case studies frequently contain a strong element of narrative, which typically builds on plot, i.e., a sequence of events and their relationship to each other and to context. A classic structure often used in narrative case studies is the monomyth or hero's journey, with a beginning, a middle, and an end, where, first, the harmony of daily life is broken by a particularly interesting or dramatic event that leads into the main story. Here, second, the plot builds to a point of no return, from where the protagonist – who in a case study need not be a person but may be an organization, a project, or a community – has no choice but to deal with matters, and thus is tested. At this point, characteristically, there is conflict and the conflict intensifies. Third, and finally, harmony is reestablished by the conflict being solved, or at least explained, as part of the case study.

The use of narrative involves a danger, however, of committing what has been called the narrative fallacy. This fallacy consists of a human propensity to simplify data through a predilection for compact stories over complex data sets. It is easier for the human mind to remember and make decisions on the basis of stories with meaning than to remember strings of data. This is one reason why narrative case studies are so powerful and why many of the classics in case study research are written in the narrative format. But humans read meaning into data and compose stories, even where this is unwarranted. In case study research, the way to avoid the narrative fallacy is no different from the way to avoid other error: the usual consistent checks for validity and reliability in how data are collected, analyzed, and presented.