# Multiperspectivity

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Characteristic of narration or representation

**Multiperspectivity** (sometimes **polyperspectivity**) is a characteristic of [narration](/source/Narration) or [representation](/source/Representation_(arts)), where more than one perspective is represented to the audience.[1]

Most frequently the term is applied to [fiction](/source/Fiction) which employs **multiple narrators**, often in opposition to each-other or to illuminate different elements of a plot,[1] creating what is sometimes called a **multiple narrative,**[2][3] or **multi-narrative**.[4]

However, a similar concept is applied to [historical process](/source/Historical_method), in which **multiple different perspectives** are used to evaluate events.[5] Educators have extended the concept and term to apply to techniques used to teach multiple disciplines, including [social sciences](/source/Social_science), like [economics](/source/Economics) and [civics](/source/Civics),[6] and [physical education](/source/Physical_education).[7]

## Use in history

Sample of multiple sources

Main article: [historical method](/source/Historical_method)

The use of multiple perspectives arose because educators and scholars from the recent decades questioned the validity of one-sided historical narratives. Instead of focusing on a dominant group's point of view, they suggested to employ multiperspectivity. This is because of the diversity and [cultural pluralism](/source/Cultural_pluralism), since many groups – women, the poor, ethnic minorities, etc. – have been ignored in traditional historical narratives.

Good historians must not just focus on one side of the story, instead they must look into different sources to know if the facts corroborate with each other and to produce more accurate interpretations. "In history, multiple perspectives are usual and have to be tested against evidence, and accounted for in judgments and conclusions." Ann Low-Beer explains.[8]

1. Multiple [historical narratives](/source/Narrative_history) provide space to inquire and investigate.

1. Different sources offer different historical truths.

1. It brings a more complex, complete and richer understanding of the past.

1. It can be used to show corroboration of acts, to show diverse perspectives of a single event, and to showcase the human condition in compelling ways.[9]

1. Multiperspectivity is a significant tool for stimulating historical understanding and thinking and a necessary precondition for all citizens that live in a multicultural society.[10]

## See also

- [Mosaic novel](/source/Mosaic_novel) - a genre of novel employing multiperspectivity

## Further reading

- [Edith Feistner](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Feistner); [Alfred Holl](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Holl): Mono-perspective views of multi-perspectivity: information systems modeling and ‘The blind men and the elephant’ (= Acta Wexionensia (Information Systems) Nr. 87). Växjö: Växjö University Press 2006, ISBN 91-7636-500-X.

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_1-1) Hartner, Marcus. ["Multiperspectivity"](http://www.lhn.uni-hamburg.de/article/multiperspectivity). *The Living Handbook of Narratology*. University of Hamburg. Retrieved 2016-09-19.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Magher, Maria. ["What Is a Multiple Narrative?"](http://education.seattlepi.com/multiple-narrative-5829.html). Retrieved 2016-09-19.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Hassler-Forest, Dan. ["Multiple Narrative Structures in Contemporary Cinema"](http://www.euronet.nl/users/mcbeijer/dan/mns/).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Same Difference: Humanity as Allegory in the Multi-Narrative Film"](http://film-philosophy.com/conference/index.php/conf/F-P2014/paper/viewPaper/907). 2014-02-02. {{[cite journal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_journal)}}: Cite journal requires |journal= ([help](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:CS1_errors#missing_periodical))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Multiperspectivity: What Is It, and Why Use It? | Teachinghistory.org"](http://teachinghistory.org/teaching-materials/ask-a-master-teacher/23610). *teachinghistory.org*. Retrieved 2016-09-19.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Weber, Birgit (2016-02-26). ["Multiperspectivity, Values and Criticism in Economic and Civic Education"](http://www.jsse.org/index.php/jsse/article/view/1510). *JSSE - Journal of Social Science Education*. **14** (4). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2390/jsse-v14-i4-1510](https://doi.org/10.2390%2Fjsse-v14-i4-1510). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1618-5293](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1618-5293).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Krüger, Arnd (2012-10-29). ["Multiperspectivity as a basis of current German physical education"](http://www.cairn.info/resume.php?ID_ARTICLE=SM_078_0011). *Movement & Sport Sciences* (78): 11–23. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1051/sm/2012020](https://doi.org/10.1051%2Fsm%2F2012020). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [2118-5735](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/2118-5735).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Teachinghistory.org"](https://teachinghistory.org/teaching-materials/ask-a-master-teacher/23610). *teachinghistory.org*. Retrieved 2019-11-15.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Hill, Chazda (2016-10-11). ["Multiperspectivity: when & how to write multi-narrative"](http://greatstorybook.com/multiperspectivity-write-multi-narrative/). *GreatStorybook.com*. Retrieved 2019-11-15.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Multiperspectivity and Intercultural Dialogue in Education (MIDE)"](https://www.cy.undp.org/content/cyprus/en/home/operations/projects/action_for_cooperation_and_trust/multiperspectivity-and-intercultural-dialogue-in-education--mide.html). *UNDP in Cyprus*. Retrieved 2019-11-15.

v t e Narrative Character Antagonist Archenemy Character arc Character flaw Characterization Confidant Deuteragonist False protagonist Focal character Foil Gothic double Hamartia Hero Anti Byronic Tragic Narrator Protagonist Stock character Straight man Supporting character Title character Tritagonist Villain Plot Ab ovo Action Backstory Origin story Chekhov's gun Cliché Cliffhanger Conflict Deus ex machina Dialogue Dramatic structure Eucatastrophe Foreshadowing Flashback Flashforward Frame story In medias res Kishōtenketsu MacGuffin Pace Plot device Plot twist Poetic justice Red herring Reveal Self-insertion Shaggy dog story Stereotype Story arc Story within a story Subplot Suspense Trope Setting Alternate history Backstory Crossover Dreamworld Dystopia Fictional location city country universe parallel Fictional species Utopia Worldbuilding Theme Irony Leitmotif Metaphor Moral Moral development Motif Deal with the Devil Conflict between good and evil Self-fulfilling prophecy Time travel Style Allegory Bathos Comic relief Diction Figure of speech Imagery Mode Mood Narration Narrative techniques Hook Show, don't tell Stylistic device Suspension of disbelief Symbolism Tone Structure Act Act structure Three-act structure Freytag's Pyramid Exposition/Protasis Rising action/Epitasis Climax/Peripeteia Falling action/Catastasis Catastrophe Denouement Linear narrative Nonlinear narrative films television series Premise Types of fiction with multiple endings Form Drama Fabliau Flash fiction Folklore Fable Fairy tale Legend Myth Tall tale Gamebook Narrative art Narrative poetry Epic poetry Novel Novella Parable Short story Vignette Genre (List) Fiction Action fiction Adventure Comic Crime Docu Epistolary Ergodic Erotic Historical Western Mystery Nautical Paranoid Philosophical Picaresque Political Pop culture Psychological Religious Rogue Romance Chivalric Prose Saga Satire Speculative fiction Fantasy Gothic Southern Horror Magic realism Science Hard Utopian and dystopian Underwater Superhero Theological Thriller Urban Nonfiction Autobiography Biography Novel Creative Narration Diegesis First-person Second-person Third-person Third-person omniscient narrative Subjectivity Unreliable narrator Fourth wall Multiple narrators Stream of consciousness Stream of unconsciousness Tense Past Present Future Related Dominant narrative Fiction writing Continuity Canon Reboot Retcon Parallel novel Prequel / Sequel Series Genre List Literary science Literary theory Narrative identity Narrative paradigm Narrative therapy Narratology Metafiction Political narrative Rhetoric Glossary Screenwriting Series of works Storytelling Tellability Verisimilitude

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Multiperspectivity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiperspectivity) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiperspectivity?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.