Document Type : Original Article
Author
Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Language and Literature, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran.
Abstract
The narrativity of events is a universal phenomenon that can be considered pervasive across all elements and pillars of the universe. The university, as a multi-layered phenomenon and the scientific and cultural backbone of society, is no exception to this rule. This study, adopting a descriptive-analytical approach, investigates the fundamental role of narrative in academic life. To achieve this purpose, two layers—epistemological and ontological—have been considered, each comprising three or four central issues. In the epistemological layer, the greatest emphasis is placed on the role of narrative in knowledge production, the narrative-oriented nature of knowledge, and the role of narrative in scientific authority. In the ontological layer, the study addresses the role of narrative in constructing university identity, the university as a narrative phenomenon, and the link between being and saying within the university. The findings indicate that, at the epistemological level, narrative is not merely a tool for transmitting knowledge but rather a condition for the very possibility of knowledge itself. A university that seeks to fulfill its authentic missions must rely on narrative, meaning, and its lived experience—not solely on quantitative and objective indicators. Ultimately, this study demonstrates that the university should be understood not as an objective, statistical entity, but as a "discursive text" in which identity, knowledge, and being are constructed and reproduced through discourse. The epistemological and ontological layers together reveal that transitioning from "statistical-objective" approaches to "narrative-analytical" ones is a necessity.
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