A Getting Out of the Way: An Exploration in Using a We-Narrative Voice to Decentre Bias

Abstract

We-narratives are a less common variant of the it-narrative, in which a story is written from the perspective of an object or non-human entity. As a first-person plural perspective, a we-narrative assumes affiliation and understanding among the community voice and differs from a multi-voice narrative. The author’s own writings implement we-narratives to force an authorial confrontation with implicit bias, assumptions, and perspectives of time and space that move outside those of human concerns or history. The differentiation between the we-narrative and it-narrative is outlined especially in relation to spatiality, temporality, and intent. The approach is meant to include notions of time and spatiality that extend past human perception, and to position a human perspective as only one of many. A we-narrative offers an intriguing lens through which writers can tackle issues of injustice through fiction and hybrid stories, explore biases and assumptions, and discover unexpected connections.