JEP - Narrating to Make Sense - 17-12-2026

NARRATING TO MAKE SENSE 

How do we turn our experiences into narratives? What happens when we recount an event, a life, a trial or a conversion? Can storytelling help us understand what we have lived through?

REGISTER FOR THE STUDY DAY

To take part, simply follow the registration link and the instructions provided: Registration

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with all the information needed to attend, as well as instructions for preparing and submitting your contribution by 10 December 2026.

A SESSION IN A SERIES OF REFLECTIONS: What Stories Do to Us — Personal, Family and National Narratives

Every human society creates narratives about the nation, families and individuals. Through these narratives, memories are formed and passed on, shaping identities, giving meaning to the present and orienting us towards the future. Such narratives do not emerge by chance. They are shaped by traditions, circumstances and choices: on what cultural foundations are they built? How do narrators transform their inheritance? What is preserved or omitted? How do events influence these choices, and what effects do often ancient narratives have on living individuals and communities?

Over three online meetings, we will explore the role of narrative in shaping individuals and communities, bringing philosophy, theology, history, art history, law and the humanities into dialogue:

• DECEMBER: Narrating to Make Sense

How do we turn our experiences into narratives? What happens when we recount an event, a life, a trial or a conversion? Can storytelling help us understand what we have lived through?

• MARCH: Narrating to Pass On

Why do some stories endure across generations? From biblical narratives to myths, from family traditions to founding stories, how does a culture transmit memory and a particular understanding of humanity?

• JUNE: Narrating to Interpret the World

Stories do more than recount what happened: they also offer ways of understanding what is happening. What role does narrative play in theology, philosophy, history, law, the arts and literature? And what becomes of our societies when the narratives that structured them are called into question?

METHODOLOGY

Each online session runs from 5 to 8 p.m. (Paris time) and has three parts:

1. Introduction: a teacher presents the topic and its key issues.

2. Short presentations: students and teachers each give a 3–5 minute presentation, opening a line of inquiry rather than exhausting a subject.

3. Discussion and sharing: participants discuss the presentations in small groups and then together.

FIVE LANGUAGES

Domuni students come from all over the world. Everyone may speak in one of the five languages of the study day: French, English, Spanish, Italian or Arabic.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

The online study days are open to all Domuni students, regardless of programme (certificate, bachelor’s, master’s or PhD), discipline or level, as well as to teachers. Participation is free, subject to registration.

You may take part by proposing a presentation or by joining the discussions.

HOW TO PROPOSE A PRESENTATION?

A call for contributions is issued for each session. To respond, send a short proposal including:

– a title;

– a few lines describing the idea, experience or question you would like to share;

– the intended session (December, March or June);

– the language of the presentation.

Proposals must be submitted before the deadline for each session, following the instructions in the registration confirmation email. Authors of selected proposals will then be contacted to prepare their 3–5 minute presentation.