Storytelling in Higher Education

This chapter takes a look at stereotypes at the individual relationship level and proposes the tool of storytelling as a method for people to move beyond stereotypes. Stories of personal experiences have power because of their capacity to evoke empathy, to force perspective, and to build trust in relationships. Thus, storytelling represents a tool for individuals to use in personal development surrounding issues of identity, particularly race. Stories oppose stereotypes by providing context to people’s actions, mannerisms, and choices. If the sin of stereotyping is oversimplification, storytelling allows us to describe experiences with the feeling, personal commentary, and context necessary to help people overcome implicit and explicit biases.