A scoping review of narrative analysis in studies of rural depopulation and land abandonment

Rural depopulation and land abandonment are intensifying globally, with acute impacts in Europe’s marginal and inner regions. Although demographic and land-use change are extensively documented quantitatively, less is known about how local communities experience, interpret and contest these transformations. Narrative analysis is well suited to examining these subjective and symbolic dimensions, yet its application in depopulation research remains scattered and methodologically heterogeneous. Following PRISMA-ScR guidance, 37 studies published up to 2025 were identified and synthesised through methodological mapping and thematic synthesis. Over time, the reviewed literature increasingly foregrounds socio-cultural and governance-related meanings alongside ecological framings, showing how communities negotiate loss, belonging, agency and competing rural futures. The synthesis indicates that narrative approaches can complement quantitative evidence by clarifying how land-use change and policy interventions are interpreted, legitimised or contested in place-based terms. At the same time, uneven geographical coverage and variable methodological reporting underline the need for greater transparency, reflexivity and analytical comparability in narrative depopulation research.