Part 1: Write a response (a paragraph or more) to ONE of the articles listed below under Sample Autoethnographies. What did you find most interesting about this autoethnography? How did this author use personal experience of the topic and/or personal narrative to make a larger sociological point? How is personal narrative combined with other forms of research, such as secondary sources that provide a larger sociological or theoretical context, interviews, or observation of physical or online communities? What did you learn from reading this autoethnography about the expectations and conventions for this genre of writing?
Part 2: Generate a list of possible topics for your own autoethnography. Then choose two of the topics you listed and write a paragraph each explaining how you could explore those topics in an autoethnography. What would you emphasize about your personal experience? What larger social issues would this tie in with? What preliminary ideas do you have of how to combine personal narrative with secondary sources, interviews, and/or fieldwork observation of an in-person or virtual fieldsite?
Sample Autoethnographies: (Note: In some cases, when you follow the link, you will need to download the available full text PDF. If any of these links dont work for you, just type in the authors name and title keywords into a Google Scholar search. This will take you to a free link to the article.)
Abd-Rahimm, Atiquah Online Fandom: Social Identity and Social Hierarchy of Hallyu Fans.
Journal of Undergraduate Ethnography. Vol. 9, No 1. 2019, 65-81. https://ojs.library.dal.ca/JUE/article/view/8885 (é¾æ¥å°å¤é¨ç½ç«ã)
This undergraduate research paper examines participation in an online Hallyu fan group. It is a good example of doing fieldwork observation of an online space. The author combines personal experience as a Hallyu fan with online fieldwork and with research from secondary sources.
Chavez, Minerva. Autoethnography, a Chicanas Methodological Research Tool: The Role of
Storytelling for Those Who Have No Choice but to do Critical Race Theory. Equity and Excellence in Education, 45(2), 334-348, 2012, 334-348.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254300927_Autoethnography_a_Chicana’s_Methodological_Research_Tool_The_Role_of_Storytelling_for_Those_Who_Have_No_Choice_but_to_do_Critical_Race_Theory (é¾æ¥å°å¤é¨ç½ç«ã)
Drawing on personal narrative and secondary research, the author talks about her journey as a working-class Chicana first-generation college student. She addresses elements of her cultural heritage as well as encounters with the academy. This is one of many authoethnographies centering on cultural heritage and education.
Fox, Regan. Are Those Germs in Your Pocket, Or Am I Just Crazy to See You: An
Autoethnographic Consideration of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Qualitative Inquiry, Vol. 20(8), 2014, 966-975.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1077800413513732?casa_token=yZsLoJHXc6IAAAAA:AY-cEnMmhAl0qhvBE_Ra8XdK0BrpRtNh-6oXakabtnCkrlQHiPNzXUMyII_PWDg_qZKCtfqDG9l5jg (é¾æ¥å°å¤é¨ç½ç«ã)
Drawing on personal experience and secondary research, this article is an example of a growing number of autoethnographies centered on illness or disability. The author theorizes his struggle with obsessive compulsive disorder, addressing serious issues while using an often humorous writing style. This type of autoethnography is of particular interest to the medical community, to other people who might be struggling with similar issues, or to anybody interested in mental health issues.
Guetzinger, Brian. An Orchestra of Many. Writ Large. University of Denver, 2016.
https://writlargedu.wordpress.com/2016/02/07/an-orchestra-of-many-goetzinger/ (é¾æ¥å°å¤é¨ç½ç«ã)
This is a WRIT 1133 student ethnography published in the DU Writing Programs student magazine Writ Large. Although not strictly an autoethnography, the author is an insider to the classical music subculture and he combines personal narrative with interviews and secondary sources to explore classical music and what it takes to make this into a career.
Herrmann, Andrew. Communication and Ritual at the Comic Book Shop. Journal of
Organizational Ethnography, June 2018, 2-18. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326043745_Communication_and_ritual_at_the_comic_book_shop_The_convergence_of_organizational_and_popular_cultures (é¾æ¥å°å¤é¨ç½ç«ã)
This autoethnography was performed at a local comic book shop, connecting communicative and ritual practices to organizational culture, hegemonic masculinity, geek culture and personal identity. Drawing on personal narrative and secondary research, the author explores his comic book fandom.
Jones, Bethan. 2014. “Written on the Body: Experiencing Affect and Identity in My
Fannish Tattoos.” In “Materiality and Object-Oriented Fandom,” edited by Bob Rehak, special issue, Transformative Works and Culture No. 16, 2014. https://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/download/527/443?inline=1 (é¾æ¥å°å¤é¨ç½ç«ã)
In this article, the author explores the meaning behind her tattoos through personal narrative, photographs, and secondary research. Her research tattoos in the context of fan subcultures and is part of the larger body of research that connects autoethnography to fan studies.
Malhotra, Prema. An Autoethnographic Journey of Intercountry Adoption. The Qualitative
Report. Vol. 18, Article 63, 2013, 1-13. http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.370.1543&rep=rep1&type=pdf (é¾æ¥å°å¤é¨ç½ç«ã)
In this autoethnographic essay, the author explores her struggles and desires to learn about her life prior to adoption. The essay combines personal narrative, diary entries, and extensive secondary research. It is one of many autoethnographies centering on family structure and relationships.
McNaughton, Melanie. Insurrectionary Womanliness: Gender and the (Boxing) Ring. The
Qualitative Report, Vol. 17, 33, 1-13 https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ978732.pdf (é¾æ¥å°å¤é¨ç½ç«ã)
Informed by gender theory, this autoethnography examines the authors encounters with breaking traditional gender norms and her identity as a female boxer. This is one of a growing number of autoethnographies focusing on gender and sexuality. The author combines personal narrative with incorporation with secondary sources to provide context as well as a critical lens.
Parry, Keith. “Game of Two Passions: A Football Fans Autoethnography. January 2014.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264496863_Game_of_two_passions_A_football_fan’s_autoethnography (é¾æ¥å°å¤é¨ç½ç«ã)
[Note: If this link does not work, just copy the author and title and paste into Google Scholar. It will connect you to a link.]
This is an example of a scholarly autoethnography centered on fan studies. Other studies of this type might examine other types of fandoms connected, for instance, with sports, music, games, comics, or books. In this fifteen-page article, the author incorporates his own personal narrative as well as diary entries, observations, and secondary research on fan studies.
Scarfe, S. and Marlow C. Overcoming the Fear: An Autoethnographic Narrative of Running
with Epilepsy. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise, and Health7(5), 688-697.
http://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/23136/5/Scarfe.%20Autofinishedproofword.pdf (é¾æ¥å°å¤é¨ç½ç«ã)
Drawing on personal narrative and secondary research, this autoethnography discusses the challenges of being a runner with epilepsy. The author explores her identity as an athlete and discusses how this identity continued to develop after she was diagnosed with epilepsy. It is one of many studies on athletics and disability.
Nguyen, Tram A Journey of Cross-Cultural Adaptation: An Autoethnography of a Vietnamese
Graduate Student in the American Classroom. https://thekeep.eiu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5457&context=theses (é¾æ¥å°å¤é¨ç½ç«ã)
This is an example of an autoethnography centering on the authors experience as an international student from Vietnam. This is a thesis and is long, but it is a good example of content and structure in writing about the international student experience. Other autoethnographies of this type might examine, for instance, other types of cross-cultural experiences, the experience of being a student athlete, or the experience of being a first-generation student.
Young, Stephanie. Half and Half: An (Auto)ethnography of Hybrid Identities in a Korean
American Mother-Daughter Relationship
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233345934_Half_and_Half_An_Autoethnography_of_Hybrid_Identities_in_a_Korean_American_Mother-Daughter_Relationship (é¾æ¥å°å¤é¨ç½ç«ã)
[Note: If this link does not work, just copy the author and title and paste into Google Scholar. It will connect you to a link.]
This article examines the authors identity as a second-generation Korean immigrant and her sense of a hybrid identity. The article combines personal narrative with interviews with her mother and secondary research. This is an excellent example of how personal narrative and interview-based research can be effectively combined in autoethnography.
