Using narrative methods in crosscultural research with Mongolian and Australian women survivors of domestic violence

My feminist, narrative research privileges women's voice. It comprises a cross-cultural narrative analysis of 11 Mongolian and 11 Australian women's stories of survival, recovery and remaking of self following domestic/ intimate partner violence. With a major focus on narrative identity, I identified plots and themes of individual autobiographical narratives, as well as relevant canonical narratives (general stories of lives arising from dominant discourses in a particular culture). From these elements I created a meta-narrative which constitutes the body of the research report. The strength of this narrative research method was to elicit narratives of women's journeys through and beyond domestic violence. The research process involved myself as researcher, as well as participants themselves, bearing witness to and reflecting on the women's stories. Particularly empowering for participants was hearing and responding to their own stories and the sharing of stories among participants. In this article I give an overview of my theoretical approaches and research methods, tell the story of conducting the research and give a brief summary of my findings and conclusions.