A grand, overarching story or theory that attempts to explain historical events, social phenomena, or human experience as a whole. It often refers to large-scale explanatory frameworks that claim universal validity.
Coined in the late 20th century from Greek 'meta' meaning 'beyond' or 'about' and 'narrative.' The term gained prominence through Jean-François Lyotard's critique of grand explanatory theories, particularly in postmodern philosophy.
Metanarratives are like the ultimate explanatory stories - they don't just tell us what happened, but claim to reveal the secret pattern behind everything that happens. The postmodern insight is that these grand stories often hide whose voices they exclude and whose power they serve, making us question whether any single story can truly explain it all.
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