Yesterday, I revisited the TwitterGroups webpage where I recently created the Autoethnography Twitter Group. While there, I noticed a new feature that was incomplete, namely the Description area. I thought this was as good a time as any to put in a description of not only the group, but of autoethnography itself.
I am often asked what the $%^& is autoethnography, anyway, so thought now is as good a time as any to define it. Given this qualitative methodology and my upcoming paper at the 5th International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, here is my definition of autoethnography:
Autoethnography is a form of qualitative research where the researcher explores his or her own experience as a focus of investigation. It acknowledges the power of the researcher to explore his or her own life more closely than others are able, and it connects the personal story to the participatory cultures while engaging the reader to share in the vibrancy of the experience.
How does this feel and seem and sound and look to you?