Description
Book SynopsisThis book develops a typology of crisis narratives (accounts of blame, stories of renewal, victim narratives, heroic tales, and memorials), that provide an organizing framework for analyzing crises and understanding how competing stories battle for dominance in the wake of a disaster.
Trade Review"Seeger and Sellnow explain, clearly and vividly, how people tell stories about natural disasters: what causes them, who is to blame, and what is to be done. This book fills a crucial gap by explaining how people make sense of disasters, and find ways to respond to them."—Thomas A. Birkland, North Carolina State University
"Crisis communication is a burgeoning area of research; narrative is a well-established method for understanding messages. Seeger and Sellnow fuse the two in their new book, offering another important addition to the literature. This will be a welcome resource to our personal and institutional libraries."—William L. Benoit, Ohio University
"People's lives require the defining logic, structure, meaning, and impact of narratives. In
Narratives of Crisis, Seeger and Sellnow examine how people mainstream crisis communication and management. This clear, coherent mix of research and case illustration probes our narrative reactions to the uncertainty inherent in disaster."—Robert L. Heath, University of Houston
"This excellent book is a significant contribution to the field of crisis communication. The authors persuasively show the power and relevance of a narrative approach. The book is filled with good stories and great theory, delivering a deep understanding of how the stories of crisis create meaning in society."—Jesper Falkheimer, Lund University
Table of Contents1. Narratives of Crisis
2. Humans as Storytellers
3. How Stories Disrupt Our Sense of Meaning
4. Making Sense through Accounts
5. Blame Narratives
6. Renewal Narratives
7. Victim Narratives
8. Hero Narratives
9. Memorial Narratives
10. How Narratives of Crisis Compete and Converge
11. The Consequences of Crisis Narratives
