Assemblage analysis: an experimental new-materialist method for analysing narrative data

Abstract

Recently social constructionist and poststructuralist theories, and the methodologies they have informed, have been criticised for focusing excessively on human discourse and human action whilst overlooking the importance of the material and non-human world. Alongside these critiques we have witnessed the emergence of new-materialist theories and methodologies that attempt to address the perceived shortcomings of social constructionism and poststructuralism. This article aims to make a small contribution to these developments by introducing an experimental new-materialist method for analysing narrative data. The method, which was developed during a qualitative research project exploring the treatment of sexuality within a disability service, borrows from established methods of poststructuralist discourse analysis whilst also seeking to remain attentive to the material, affective and non-human forces that shape and affect the stories people tell.