From the linguistic turn in sociology to narrative

The linguistic turn in sociology has established language-related issues as a primary focus in the examination of socio-humanitarian human activities. The acceptance of texts (linguistic statements) as socio-cultural phenomena that construct social reality facilitates the exploration of socio-cultural contexts and value-behavioral models of social actors engaged in social actions. However, the assertions regarding the social role of language that delineate the specificity of social actions have not consistently been acknowledged. Symbolic interactionism, ethnomethodology, phenomenology, the theory of communicative actions, hermeneutics, and the theory of speech acts have provided the methodological foundation for regarding language as a defining element, thereby contributing to the development of the linguistic turn in socio-humanitarian research. A particular significance in the establishment of linguistics (language and speech) as a crucial component of human activity is attributed to P. Bourdieu, who identified language as the principal marker of individual sociality. Conversely, the linguistic turn has served as a foundational point for the emergence of the narrative turn, regarded as an effective instrument in sociological inquiry. The narrative/description/narrative framework possesses its own rationale for defining the individual as a central subject of sociological investigation. The diversity of interpretations of identical events is influenced, on one hand, by the subjective particularities of respondents and, on the other hand, by the spatio-temporal context. The ethnomethodological uniqueness of the narrative encapsulates the quotidian experiences of individuals in the dynamics of their interactions, reflections, everyday behavioral models, and the organization of their life cycles. The phenomenological character of the narrative is epitomized by the phenomenon of sociological rewriting, which amalgamates an objective worldview with its subjective interpretations and the emotional nuances of the description. The postmodern perspective on the narrative underscores, primarily, the limitless array of subjective interpretations and the technique of deconstructing texts to unearth concealed meanings. Employing narrative as a sociological tool enables a thorough description and analysis of not only the social actions of individuals in their everyday lives but also the examination of social reality.