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“Autoethnography, Personal Narrative, Reflexivity: Researcher as Subject”

Authors:
Ellis, C. and Bochner, A. (2000) “Autoethnography, Personal
Narrative, Reflexivity: Researcher as Subject,” In The Handbook
of Qualitative Research (2nd edition), edited by Norman Denzin
and Yvonna Lincoln, Sage, pp. 733-768.
... La autoetnografía como método combina lo autobiográfico y lo etnográfico a través de un proceso de investigación y escritura que expone múltiples relaciones micro sociales del investigador que conecta lo personal a lo cultural por medio de la elaboración de un texto evocadoramente interesante que utiliza técnicas a través de las que es posible mostrar los pensamientos, emociones y acciones de quienes las protagonizan con el fin de que experimenten esa misma experiencia o una parte de ella (Ellis et al., 2015a) (Ellis, C & Bochner, 2000). Ofreciendo una perspectiva interna de las prácticas, significados e interpretaciones de fenómenos y experiencias culturales. ...
... Por lo general los autoetnógrafos escriben sobre eventos que rememoran algo en especial que ha tenido una huella significativa en sus vidas; es decir, son las epifanías, que van desde momentos de crisis existenciales o eventos en donde existen interrupciones personales, familiares, académicas y sociales (Couser, 1997;Ellis, C & Bochner, 2000;Zaner, 2004). Señalo a continuación a Carol Rambo, quien siendo sobreviviente de abuso sexual infantil, socióloga y profesora universitaria, examina el abuso infantil por medio de una investigación autoetnográfica (Rambo, 1995): ...
... In autoethnographic work, the researcher's personal experiences are not ancillary to the study but central to it, serving as a means to connect the personal to the cultural and the specific to the universal (see e.g., Adams & Herrmann, 2023;Woodhouse, 2018). As Ellis and Bochner (2000) famously asserted, Back and forth the autoethnographers gaze, first through an ethnographic wide-angle lens, focusing outward on social and cultural aspects of their personal experience; then, they took inward, exposing a vulnerable self that is moved by and may move through, refract, and resist cultural interpretations. (p. ...
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This paper critiques the sterile, formulaic, and positivist tendencies in hospitality and tourism qualitative research, exposing several dangerous misconceptions including the false gold standard of data saturation, the mistreatment of subjectivity as a flaw, and the notion that qualitative research can be adequately taught in a single course alone. The author concludes with the idea of living qualitatively, a mode of inquiry that prizes becoming, resists sterile simplification, and centers epistemic humility—a process of getting lost, to be found, only to be lost again.
... Brooks (2011) beschreibt diese Art von Arbeit als eine Möglichkeit, sich von der traditionellen Form des wissenschaftlichen Schreibens zu lösen, wobei sie dennoch »ein wirksames Potenzial für Forschende, die Erforschten und die Leser*innen/Zuhörer*innen…« in sich trägt (Spry, 2001, S. 712; eigene Übersetzung). Es handelt sich dabei gleichzeitig um eine Form der Selbstbeobachtung, bei der Forschende ihr eigenes Erleben in den Fokus der Untersuchung stellen und im Rahmen eines Storytellings den Leser*innen die Möglichkeit bieten, an einer kulturellen, introspektiven, reflektierenden und emotionalen Auseinandersetzung mit für die Wissenschaftler*innen relevanten Themen teilzunehmen (Ellis & Bochner, 2000). ...
... As with our previous paper, we use a reflexive approach to autoethnography, "using authors' own experiences, writing personal narratives and contributing to a gap in the literature" (Sakurai et al. 2022(Sakurai et al. , 2371. As a qualitative narrative inquiry (Trahar 2009), autoethnography involves situating oneself and one's experiences among or against cultural and social phenomena (Ellis and Bochner 2000). Autoethnography purposefully and critically interrogates practices and norms through the lens of lived experience, "embracing vulnerability with a purpose" and seeking to develop a "reciprocal relationship" with the reader to invite their response and engagement (Sparkes 2018, 3). ...
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Publishing research in scholarly journals takes up much time and energy for many academics, and the early career phase may be particularly challenging, as researchers navigate the processes and politics of academic publishing for the first time. We previously explored these challenges as early‐career researchers in a collaborative autoethnographic study in 2018. Now, 6 years later, we have once again reflected on our shared and divergent experiences, this time from our positions as mid‐career researchers, socialised into the world of scholarly publishing and with longer histories of success and failure in scholarly publication. Our critical discussions revealed a continued commitment to publishing work in high‐impact journals, but also tensions in engaging with biased systems, and systemic resistance to challenging inequalities in academic publishing. Our motives for publishing are still influenced by institutional expectations, but are increasingly shaped by a desire to extend the impact of our work to individuals and communities as our knowledge mobilisation endeavours come to fruition, and new external partnerships are formed. This article is responsive to our ongoing efforts to support the next generation of novice researchers in their own publishing journeys, while also critically reflecting on tensions and opportunities encountered when expanding our publication mentoring skillset.
... I believe my position as an "insider" was crucial to the success of this project, as participants trusted me to understand their needs and believe them without question. The advantages of being an insider researcher have been well documented and can include access to the community, prior knowledge, deeper understanding, quicker establishment of trust and rapport and understandings of contextual customs, language, or behaviours (see Bennett, 2003;Ellis & Bochner, 2000;Taylor, 2011;Wilkinson & Kitzinger, 2013). However, positionality can be fluid and perhaps insiderness/outsiderness is better understood as a shifting continuum rather than a static stance (Crossley et al., 2015). ...
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This paper explores how ableist assumptions can unintentionally create barriers to participation in research by those of non-normative bodies or minds. In traditional epistemology, bodies are considered “universal” rather than “specific,” and the universal body is coded as fully able-bodied and independent with brain and body adhering to normative standards of the White heterosexual English-speaking male. In this article, I present a story of “enabling participation” for those of diverse body capacity in my work with young women living with chronic illness.[1]Specifically, I explore the accommodations and adaptions I made to my research design to account for the non-normative form and function of my participants’ bodies and my own. Using the method of participant action research, the research participants became research co-collaborators as we collectively developed resources based on insider knowledge. Through sharing the story of my research, I invite other researchers to consider ways of enabling participation for a diverse array of bodies and minds in their own research.
... The data was comprised of a number of personal stories about my teaching experience from the beginning of the study in March 2020 until September 2021. I revisited the past to recreate my experiences in a narrative, reflexive way (Ellis & Bochner, 2000) and by doing so I wanted to connect to the readers, help them to find their inner selves and reflect on their own experiences (Mendez, 2013). ...
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