NARRATIVE EYE EXAM
We Help Communities See the Stories they Hold About Eve
Identifying harmful narratives can change the trajectory of how we see ourselves and how we do life together. Eveolution helps communities to see the narratives they hold about women—making visible what has long been taken for granted.
A Diagnostic Entry Point
The Narrative Eye Exam
Before any dialogue begins, we need to understand how people see. Not what they believe — but how the stories they have been given have shaped what they are able to perceive.
The Narrative Eye Exam is a series of structured narrative prompts designed to surface not stated positions, but narrative location: How does this person see the issue? What formation has shaped their sight? What would it cost them to see it differently?
The Eye Exam serves two purposes:
- For individuals: it opens a window onto inherited stories that have been operating as facts — and begins the work of examination
- For institutions: it maps the narrative landscape of a community before deeper dialogue work begins, surfacing where the closures are and where there is genuine readiness
Inherited Eve Narratives
Blame Narrative
This narrative stems from the traditional interpretation of the Genesis story, where Eve is blamed for the fall of humanity. It has perpetuated a cycle of gender-based blame and shame, particularly targeting women.
Silence Narrative
This narrative represents the historical suppression of women's voices and the expectation to be submissive and not question authority in religious and social contexts.
Divine Order Narrative
This narrative posits that gender hierarchy is divinely ordained, often using selective biblical interpretations to justify male dominance.
Temptation Narrative
This narrative portrays women as sources of temptation and moral danger to men.