Creating Autoethnographies
by Tessa Muncey
2010, Sage Publications
Creating Autoethnographies is an introduction to autoethnography, a form of autobiographical personal narrative that explores the writer’s experience of life. The first ever practical text on this increasingly popular research method, it provides a background and considers some of the criticisms of the approach. It is suitable for all social science students, both at postgraduate and also upper level undergraduate stage.
The book is structured to mirror the process of writing about experience, from establishing an idea through to the process of writing and the development of creative writing skills, and provides detailed worked examples of the whole process. The final two chapters are devoted to exploring two cases in which readers can see the principles discussed in action. There are also a wide range of case studies drawn from a wide a range of social science disciplines and exercises throughout the text.
In the book, Tessa Muncey identifies a number of trends in social science research, such as the increasing focus on the individual and giving a voice to service users, that are resulting in an increase of interest in narrative research. Creating Autoethnographies is a timely contribution to the field.
Contents
Why Do Autoethnography: Discovering the Individual in Research
Personal Worlds: Discovering the Constituent Parts of the Individual
What is Autoethnography: Making Sense of Individual Experience
Planning an Autoethnographic Account
Making Sense of Autoethnographic Texts: Legitimacy, Truth and Memory
A Complete Autoethnographic Account
The Autoethnographic Process: Starting a New Story
