Navigating Narritory, Creating Terristory: story as a way of knowing
Claire (Long) Coté
Dissertation, MA Art and Ecology
Dartington College of Art, Devon England
September, 2008

What roles do story and narrative play in the acquisition of knowledge, identity
with place and the meeting of and connection to other?

In this dissertation I explore the different facets of this question through desk
research, action research and results from a questionnaire. Juxtaposing
theoretical inquiry with personal vignettes from these research sources I explore
the themes of story and place, land, language, culture and reverberation.
Through this research with a focus on oral stories, I address the narrative
potential of place and investigate “storying” as a collaborative act. I introduce
and define two new words, “narritory” and “terristory” as possible additions to
expand the vocabulary available to describe the relationship between experience
of place and its translation into story. I briefly examine different definitions of
story and investigate the possibility of story as nomad. I also introduce the
diverse roles that story plays in our lives, from micro relationships with place to
the macro manifestations as culture and paradigms. Throughout the piece I
return to themes of story and place, narritory and terristory.

To read my entire dissertation, download it by clicking HERE