After reading a Columbia Journalism Review piece last winter on restorative narrative, Nicole Dahmen wanted to know more. She started reading everything she could find on the idea.
“<strong>Images & Voices of Hope (ivoh), a non-profit media group, has been instrumental in terming, defining and promoting ‘restorative narrative,’” said Dahmen, an assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon.
As ivoh defines it, she said, restorative narrative tell stories of “recovery, restoration and resilience in the aftermath, or midst of, difficult times.”
Restorative narratives share some characteristics, Dahmen said, including that they’re “1) strength-based with hard truths that show progression without giving false hope; and 2) authentic, sustained inquiries that present universal truths and human connection.”
Dahmen is now studying restorative narrative with a grant from the Agora Journalism Center at the University of Oregon. We spoke via email about what she’s learning and where restorative narrative fits with more traditional journalism.