"Place" in the Small Stories of African American Elders: A Narrative Case Study

Although there is a rich literature on place and home within gerontology, few studies have considered how place acts as identity markers for older African Americans. Since narratives and stories represent ways of expressing self and identity through ordered talk, they offer an interesting way to consider how people age biographically such as through links between place and self.

We analyzed small stories (i.e., stories that can appear as snippets of talk immersed within a larger narrative) from five African Americans (three women, two men, ages 78-93 years) to better understand "place" in the context of their lives.

Overall, place in participants' small stories was linked to the African American oral tradition and, for some, the Great Migration (1915-1970) from south to north. Place identity in the small stories therefore went beyond fond reminisce and instead became a type of resistance to dominant narratives of place.

Studying small stories can therefore be an important tool in better understanding deeply personal experiences of place for under-represented elders.