Expanding Our Autoethnographic Future

Abstract

Greetings! Welcome to a defining moment for qualitative research: the creation of a journal for and about autoethnography, an innovative method and orientation to research. For nearly thirty years, autoethnography has flourished in many academic contexts. Scholars from several disciplines-including, but not limited to, education, anthropology, music, gender studies, cultural studies, media studies, communication, Asian studies, sport, sociology, accounting, performance, Latinx studies, and African American studies-have used autoethnography in their research. A Google search for "autoethnography" yields nearly a million results; a Google Scholar search for "autoethnography" yields more than forty thousand sources, many of which have hundreds-even thousands-of citations. Several international conferences foreground autoethnographic research, 1 and courses involving autoethnography are taught at many universities, and more all the time. Numerous journals welcome autoethnographic submissions, 2 countless books and edited collections espouse autoethnographic practices, and prominent qualitative texts include chapters about the method. 3 Autoethnography can be found nearly everywhere-even in a journal about building construction 4-but a journal devoted solely to autoethnography does not yet exist. Until now. *** In this introduction, we begin by offering a brief history of autoethnography. We then explore what autoethnography is and does. We conclude by offering helpful guidance for those who might be interested in submitting to the journal, beyond what you'll find in the official submission guidelines. We do not want to be prescriptive about what autoethnography is or how to do it-only to offer some ideas about the characteristics that distinguish autoethnography from other methods for, and orientations to, social research.

Lived experience of pedagogical boomerang in mathematics teaching-learning

“…I chose personal narrative as a research writing genre to re-enliven myself on the memories and e/motions for the future [22]. At first, I presented my own experiences in the form of narratives to represent my experiences in episodic events with my "selfhood and subjectivity" to portray the subtle moments of challenges and changes in both personal and professional identity [23]. I expressed my autobiographies, experiences, and events about teaching and learning mathematics at different times.…”

Autoethnography: accept, revise, reject? An evaluative self reflects

“…The thoughts above are echoed directly by Adams and Herrmann (2020), the editors of the newly established Journal of Autoethnography, in the guidance they offer to those interested in submitting an article to this journal. While they do not wish to be prescriptive about what autoethnography is or how to do it, Adams and Herrmann state the following.…”

“…The characteristics named above are reinforced when Adams and Herrmann (2020) state that the use of personal experience does not automatically make a manuscript autoethnographic. For this to happen, 'personal experience must be used intentionally to illuminate and interrogate cultural beliefs, practices, and identities ("ethno")' (p. 2).…”

Making a Spectacle of Oneself in the Academy Using the H-Index: From Becoming an Artificial Person to Laughing at Absurdities

“…This raises questions about how academics interpret and respond to this incitement to make a spectacle of themselves and how they feel emotionally about doing so in the process. Autoethnographic work that draws on personal experience to purposefully comment on and critique cultural practices, embrace vulnerability with a purpose, and create a reciprocal relationship with the audience in the hope of compelling a response would seem to be one way to address such questions (Adams & Herrmann, 2020;Holman Jones et al, 2013;Sparkes, 2020). This said, some consideration first needs to be given as to whether or not we need another autoethnography from inside the university and for what purpose.…”