Narrative in der ökonomischen Sphäre. Dogmengeschichtliche und disziplinäre Rahmung am Beispiel des aktuellen Transformationsgeschehens

Abstract

This contribution is derived from a lecture intended to advance interdisciplinary engagement between the humanities and the field of economics, with particular regard to the role of narratives in the context of current social processes of sustainability transformation. Addressing a primarily non-economist audience, the lecture – and, by extension, this article – begins with basic reflections on the self- concept of economics as a discipline, including its doctrinal and intellectual-historical underpinnings. The article proceeds from the conviction that, in view of the profound ecological and societal disruptions of our time, there exists a compelling imperative to intensify interdisciplinary cooperation. Against this backdrop, four interrelated perspectives are elaborated: The first is an examination of why orthodox economic thought has long struggled to incorporate a narrative dimension within its analytical canon. The second highlights the persistent and constitutive role of narratives in economic history. The third is a discussion on narrative phenomena from the conceptual perspective of evolutionary economics. And the fourth perspective investigates which narratives are currently competing for discursive primacy in the debate on sustainability transformation.