Autobiographical research

Abstract

This text is about life narratives, memory and time as basic elements in autobiographical research. Aspects of these have seemed important to me whilst I have been conducting and coordinating a research project involving a team of researchers from Brazil and other countries. In this article I take the memory of the individual narrator as the focus, despite the fact that the memories of narrator and researcher are intertwined and co-defined through social and cultural relations and that the narrators´ memory and the analysis and the interpretation of the narrator and researcher are intertwined and complementary to each other. I deal with time since the narrator's perspective on the past reality is involved in any narration. The article has four parts. The first is focused on the research approach in general. Among other concepts I distinguish between autobiographical research, life stories and life narratives. The second part is focused on a specific research project that studied peoples' memories about distinguished educators and education development in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. This project offers the backdrop for understanding representations of memory and time. The third part draws on examples from this project to clarify the dimensions of memory and time as I understood them. Finally, in the last part, but not aiming to conclude, I relate these findings to some concepts from the literature.

Of being a container through role definitions

“…The research paradigm used in this study is qualitative in nature and follows a hermeneutical approach to the subject of research (Dilthey, 2002). Autoethnographical narrations are viewed as related to the hermeneutical perspective of Ricoeur (2007) who emphasises the three dimensionality of narrated time, “looking back to the past with the eyes of the present and allowing prospecting the future” (Barreto Abrahao, 2012, p. 39). The narratives thereby provide a basis for “reflectively and creatively using language” (Lock and Strong, 2010, p. 74).…”

Biography Research in Capturing Bush Capital Liveability: The Tale of a Muslim Woman

“…This study employs a qualitative research approach, specifically combining autobiographical research and collective narrative study, as demonstrated in the works of Nelson (2003), Pineu (2010), and Abrahão (2012. This type of research was first introduced following Mills' (1959) assertion that "each individual is their own methodology".…”

“…This type of research was first introduced following Mills' (1959) assertion that "each individual is their own methodology". It gained more traction with the establishment of the Self Study Special Interest Group (SIG) in 1992 and has continued to progress since then (Abrahão, 2012;Nelson, 2003). While there may be (Bullough Jr & Pinnegar, 2001;Pinnegar & Daynes, 2007).…”

Working the Paradox with Dorothy Smith

“…In this conversation with Smith's ideas, I offer stories of how she guided me in developing deeper understandings of my lived experiences as a feminist activist and academic. Memory figures prominently (Barreto-Abrahão, 2010); in this sense, my stories are meaning-making accounts of certain aspects of my life, not an empirical rendering. In some sections I begin with a haiku, a short-form poem consisting of three lines.…”