Evocative Autoethnography
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Evocative Autoethnography

Writing Lives and Telling Stories

Arthur Bochner, Carolyn Ellis

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eBook - ePub

Evocative Autoethnography

Writing Lives and Telling Stories

Arthur Bochner, Carolyn Ellis

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About This Book

This comprehensive text is the first to introduce evocative autoethnography as a methodology and a way of life in the human sciences. Using numerous examples from their work and others, world-renowned scholars Arthur Bochner and Carolyn Ellis, originators of the method, emphasize how to connect intellectually and emotionally to the lives of readers throughout the challenging process of representing lived experiences. Written as the story of a fictional workshop, based on many similar sessions led by the authors, it incorporates group discussions, common questions, and workshop handouts. The book:

  • describes the history, development, and purposes of evocative storytelling;


  • provides detailed instruction on becoming a story-writer and living a writing life;


  • examines fundamental ethical issues, dilemmas, and responsibilities;
    illustrates ways ethnography intersects with autoethnography;


  • calls attention to how truth and memory figure into the works and lives of evocative autoethnographers.


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Publisher
Routledge
Year
2016
ISBN
9781134815944
Topic
Bildung
Edition
1
Part One
Origins and History
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Session 1
Coming to Autoethnography
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Preparing for the Workshop
ā€œI canā€™t stop thinking about the workshop,ā€ Carolyn says to Art. They have just settled into their Illini student union hotel room at the University of Illinois in Urbana, where they will give a workshop on ā€˜Evocative Autoethnographyā€™ at the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry.
Carolyn lies on the bed daydreaming, while Art sits in a chair near the window reading by the descending sunlight that streams through the window. With one hand, he turns the pages of the Congress program; with the other he jots notes, glancing occasionally at the printout resting on his lap that lists workshop participants. Periodically, he stares out the window, feasting on the beauty of the rhododendron, dogwoods, and peonies that dot the campus.
Suddenly Carolyn stands, picks up her workshop folder from the desk, and says, ā€œLetā€™s do a quick review of the outline. We havenā€™t looked at it for several days.ā€
ā€œWeā€™ve been doing this workshop for a dozen years. We ought to have our act together by now,ā€ replies Art, inserting his fingers between pages in the conference program to mark sessions.
ā€œI know. But this one will demand more from us. Instead of three hours, itā€™ll continue for three days.ā€
ā€œThat means the pace can be more relaxed. We donā€™t have to rush through topics, and participants will have more opportunities to raise questions. We can feel more at ease.ā€
ā€œThat may be true,ā€ Carolyn acknowledges. ā€œThough the extended length means we have to be prepared for deeper and more intense discussions of the topics. And we never know who is going to attend the workshop; each group is different.ā€
ā€œThatā€™s why Iā€™m checking the program,ā€ Art says. Carolyn looks at him inquiringly. ā€œI want to get a feel for the kinds of topics our participants are presenting, which may help us shape our workshop more to their interests.ā€
ā€œHey, thatā€™s a good idea. What have you found?ā€
ā€œMore than a third of the participants are giving autoethnographic talks at the Congress. I saw their names listed on sessions on the professional self, memory, ethics, vulnerability, social justice, performance, and collaborative autoethnography. Some are telling personal stories dealing with race and ethnicity, loss and grief, home and homelessness, caregiving, the body, disability, mental illness, adoption, and divorce. In all, I counted about a hundred papers listed as autoethnographies.ā€
ā€œThatā€™s amazing,ā€ says Carolyn. ā€œWhat a difference from when we first started giving these workshops. Remember how participants wanted us to help them justify using stories and the ā€˜Iā€™ in their dissertation projects? Some had just stumbled onto autoethnography and wanted to know more about it. But not anymore.ā€
ā€œNow they come already engaged in ongoing autoethnographic research and familiar with the literature. I suspect this yearā€™s group will want to discuss how to do autoethnography better,ā€ says Art.
ā€œSo we can focus more on the ethical intricacies of their researchā€¦ā€ offers Carolyn,
ā€œā€¦and how to become better writers and storytellers,ā€ Art adds.
ā€œBut letā€™s make sure we also speak to those coming to auto-ethnography for the first time, seeking mentors, and asking basic questions.ā€
Art nods. ā€œOf course. Weā€™ll still get plenty of those. And they will find mentors here and learn from participants with more experience.ā€
ā€œWeā€™ll also get a glimpse from their projects about where autoethnography is headed,ā€ says Carolyn.
ā€œYes. The people in that room tomorrow will be the ones teaching other students and leading future workshops.ā€
ā€œSo we better be on point,ā€ says Carolyn. ā€œNow, can we get back to the issue of our outline?ā€
ā€œOkay.ā€ Art smiles as he puts down his program and Carolyn hands him a copy of the workshop plan. He appreciates how organized Carolyn is; Carolyn appreciates that Art encourages her not to over-prepare, but instead to trust the interactive moment.
ā€œFirst, weā€™ll have the participants introduce themselves,ā€ Carolyn begins. ā€œAssuming we have time for that with 40 people enrolled.ā€
ā€œThe introductions are crucial,ā€ Art says. ā€œPart of the value of the workshop is to acquaint autoethnographers with each other. They get to see themselves as a community.ā€
Carolyn nods. ā€œā€¦and view autoethnography as an academic identity.ā€
ā€œI know it takes a lot of time upfront, but getting them to introduce themselves is a good way to start that community building process.ā€
ā€œI agree. Then weā€™ll introduce autoethnography with our personal stories, first me, then you. After that, weā€™ll perform the story of how we met and formulated our joint project,ā€ Carolyn continues. ā€œThen youā€™ll give your history of the rise of autoethnography. Do you have that part together?ā€
ā€œSure, Iā€™ve composed a whole story on the origins of autoethnography. I think youā€™ll like how I tell it.ā€
ā€œOkay, great,ā€ Carolyn nods. ā€œThat gets us through the first afternoon.ā€
ā€œThen the next morning, Iā€™ll talk about writing and telling evocative stories, with an emphasis on the ā€˜graphyā€™ and ā€˜autoā€™ parts of autoethnography,ā€ says Art, ā€œsimilar to what Iā€™ve presented before on storytelling, only expanded and more detailed.ā€
ā€œThat afternoon participants will read ā€˜Maternal Connections,ā€™ which always evokes strong emotions, stories, and questions about vulnerability, ethics, and literary storytelling,ā€ says Carolyn. ā€œThe experiences and insights participants share in the discussion of this story is one of my favorite parts of our workshops. I learn something new each time.
ā€œThe next morning is my session on the quandaries in doing evocative autoethnography ethically,ā€ Carolyn continues. ā€œIn addition to the usual concerns about our obligations to the other people in our stories, Iā€™ve added new material on institutional review boards, a topic that always comes up. Iā€™ll also talk about how I arrived at the idea of a relational ethics of care and use it in my work with Holocaust survivors. I want participants to think about how to work ethically with research participants.
ā€œIn the afternoon, Iā€™ll turn to the ā€˜ethnoā€™ in evocative autoethnography, ways to integrate ethnographic practices and principles into autoethnographic research, and how to bring autoethnography to ethnographic studies. Iā€™ll let participants direct the conversation. Theyā€™ll break into smaller groups to formulate questions about the three areas of producing, analyzing, and telling stories.ā€
ā€œThat sounds a lot like traditional social scienceā€”collecting data, analyzing it, and writing it up,ā€ Art ribs.
ā€œSometimes traditional schemes work,ā€ Carolyn teases back. ā€œBesides they need to know how to use an autoethnographic perspective in conventional forms of analysis as well as creative analytic practices.ā€
ā€œOn the final morning, theyā€™ll discuss my story, ā€˜Bird on the Wire,ā€™ā€ Art says, following the outline. ā€œIā€™ll be curious to see how they respond to the conversation I imagine having with my deceased father. Iā€™ll give them an opportunity to talk and argue with each other as they think with my story. Afterward, I plan to talk about issues of memory and truth stimulated by that story. I envision that whole morning as a session on evaluating evocative autoethnography.ā€
ā€œThen weā€™ll conclude with our surprise visitors. I canā€™t wait for that.ā€
ā€œIā€™m excited too. We have a lot to cover in one workshop.ā€
ā€œWe do, but it sounds like weā€™re ready,ā€ Carolyn says, closing her folder. At that moment, a text comes over Carolynā€™s and Artā€™s phones simultaneously. They read the message out loud together. ā€œWeā€™re at Murphyā€™s Pub. Where are you? Weā€™re all here. xxoo, Tony, Keith, Derek, and Mitch.ā€
ā€œReady or not, looks like the Congress is about to begin, the social part anyway,ā€ Carolyn laughs. ā€œAutoethnographers are gathering to socialize, and some of our workshop participants may be there as well. Happy hour at Murphyā€™s! Letā€™s go.ā€
They smile, put on jackets, and rush out into the cool night air.
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After staying out late, Carolyn and Art sleep in the next day and then go for lunch at the Illini Union CafƩ. Deep in their thoughts about the workshop, they study their notes while they drink cappuccino and eat sandwiches. Soon they are greeting autoethnographers who have just arrived. Some are offering or taking other workshops during the next few days; others have arrived to hang out and interact socially with like-minded scholars before the Congress begins. After talking a while, Carolyn and Art excuse themselves from the gathering crowd to make sure they have enough time to find their classroom.
The Workshop Begins
Entering Union 314A, Carolyn and Art glance at the bare side walls of the long narrow room and realize they have forgotten to request an easel. They like to keep their workshop low-tech, with an emphasis on relating personally and spontaneously to participants, not be wedded to PowerPoint presentations. Without an easel, they will have to rely on the white board in the front of the narrow room, seemingly miles from the rows of desks. They put their books and papers on the large conference table in front of the desks and move two chairs behind the table. Then they greet participants as they enter the room.
As soon as most of the 40 registered attendees have arrived, Art begins, ā€œWelcome. We are delighted to meet all of you and to be holding our twelfth Congress workshop on autoethnography. We have a large number of participants today, but this is a big room. Weā€™d appreciate you filling the front rows so we can be closer together. Later, we will change the seating arrangements so that you can see and speak directly to each other.ā€
The attendees slowly follow the directions, then Art continues, ā€œLetā€™s get started. Weā€™d first like you to introduce yourselves briefly. Tell us about your research interests and concerns, particularly as they relate to autoethnography. This will give us a sense of the diversity of places and disciplines youā€™re from, and the scope of the work youā€™re doing. It also will help you get to know each other and identify people with common projects. If you can, relate your project to one that has been described by another participant. Weā€™ll take volunteers.ā€ Art points to the first hand he sees.
ā€œHi, everyone. Iā€™m Jennifer, originally from Kenya, and now a postdoctoral research fellow at the Free State University in South Africa in a program on ā€˜Trauma, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation.ā€™ I have done a study in Kenya about the importance of continuing bonds for family cancer caregivers. Iā€™d like to write my results as stories and include my experience. Though I love oral storytelling, I have no clue how to write stories. Thatā€™s why Iā€™m here.ā€
ā€œI, too, am interested in trauma and forgiveness, particularly as they apply to Holocaust survivors,ā€ Carolyn replies. ā€œBlake Paxton (2015), one of my students, recently completed his dissertation on continuous bonds between survivors and the deceased. So we have much in common. Letā€™s be sure to talk after the session.ā€
Jennifer nods and says, ā€œMy therapist and I also plan to write a story on significant happenings in my life over the last seven years while Iā€™ve been in South Africa.ā€
ā€œInteresting,ā€ says Art. ā€œI once approached a therapist I was seeing to do the same, but he declined. Do you know the work of the narrative therapist, David Epston?ā€ Jennifer shakes her head. ā€œDavid lives in New Zealand and, with Michael White, was one of the originators of narrative therapy (White and Epston, 1990). Talk to me after the session and Iā€™ll put you in touch with him. He has written stories with some of his clients.ā€
ā€œThere is also the work of the therapist and novelist Irvin Yalom,ā€ Carolyn says.
ā€œEveryday Gets a Little Closer,ā€ Art continues, ā€œabout his work with his patient, Ginny Elkin (Yalom and Elkin, 1991). They separately kept journals of each session.ā€
And so it continues. Art and Carolyn walk down aisles and across rows to stand close to each speaking participant. One of them tries to respond briefly to each person before moving on, while the other takes notes so they can refer back to attendeesā€™ interests later in the workshop. The enthusiastic participants soon are responding to each other, and itā€™s clear that most are familiar with autoethnography.
ā€œIā€™m Toni from Penn State and a graduate student in Sociology. Iā€™m interested in studying conflict in close relationships, particularly in couples who donā€™t have children. I hope to include my own story with my interviews.ā€
ā€œIā€™m Erica, a graduate student from Ohio University, in communication. By the way, Bill Rawlins says hello. Heā€™s my mentor. My research relates to Toniā€™s and Jenniferā€™s in that Iā€™m interested in relational conflict, particularly in studying forgiveness in families who donā€™t accept their children identifying as gay. Iā€™ve been keeping notes and writing stories about my experiences with my parents who are upset about my sexual orientation.ā€
ā€œHave you read Tony Adamsā€™s (2011) book on narrating the closet?ā€ Carolyn asks. ā€œHe wrote about relational aspects of entering, being in, and coming out of the closet.ā€
ā€œYes, thatā€™s why Iā€™m here. I love that book, especially how he includes his own experiences. Iā€™ve read everything heā€™s published.ā€
ā€œTonyā€™s also working on a project on forgiveness toward family members for some of their reactions to his being gay,ā€ Carolyn says, and Ericaā€™s eyes light up.
ā€œIā€™m Regina, from Florida State, a graduate student in social work. Iā€™m also interested in relational conflict. Iā€™m writing about the divorce of my parents and my motherā€™s mental illness. I have huge concerns about some of the ethical conundrums that have popped up, especially getting IRB approval to do this study.ā€
ā€œInstitutional review board approval will be an important topic of conversation in the session tomorrow,ā€ says Carolyn, and nods to the next person with his hand raised.
ā€œMy name is Eric. Iā€™m an assistant professor of music education at the University of Toronto. Iā€™m interested in performance autoethnography and how embodied understanding relates to storytelling. Like Jennifer, Toni, Erica, and Regina, Iā€™m intrigued with stories of loss.ā€
ā€œImpressive that you remembered everyoneā€™s name,ā€ says Art, and points to the woman beside Eric.
ā€œMy name is Karen. I live in Australia. Iā€™m also interested in embodied learning. Eric, we need to talk. My area is creative arts, and I want to develop research practices that combine art-based approaches with the artistic process. I think that autoethnography is the perfect mode for doing that, and I hope to use it in my dissertation.ā€ Eric smiles and nods in Karenā€™s direction.
ā€œIā€™m also interested in embodied learning. My name is Inkeri, from Finland. I have a spinal cord injury and have been in a wheelchair for five years. Iā€™m doing my dissertation on identity and sexuality for people who are differentially abled. I want to include my experiences as a woman with a disability, a counselor, and a researcher. My committee is not comfortable with the writing Iā€™ve been doing about my own experiences. Still, I canā€™t see doing this project without including my own experiences as a woman with a spinal cord injury.ā€
ā€œCertainly it would be richer to include your experiences,ā€ Carolyn says. ā€œYou should be the person to decide what you are and are not comfortable with, though you will have to think about your committee members too. I look forward to having this discussion with you.ā€
ā€œMy name is Sadira. Iā€™m a post doc in India. Inkeri, your project raises a lot of important issues about vulnerability. Thatā€™s something that interests me too, as I study the meaning of home for my family, who now lives in the United States.ā€
ā€œDo you know Devika Chawlaā€™s book (2014) on Home, Uprooted?ā€ asks Carolyn. ā€œItā€™s about what home means to people in India who have been displaced. I think it might be helpful f...

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