It’s All About Me: Autoethnography

WCQR2026 Training Day

Please note: Attendance at the Training Day is not included in the WCQR2026 conference registration and requires separate enrollment. Please visit WCQR2026 Training Day - WCQR

Overall, a short course on autoethnography aims to empower researchers to articulate their lived experiences while drawing critical connections to broader societal issues, enhancing both personal understanding and academic scholarship.

Content

• Interactive lecture: Introduction to Autoethnography.
• Philosophical underpinnings, primary scholars and literature.
• Activity: Autoethnography as a reflexive practice in qualitative research or a method on its own, writing a personal narrative.

Participants will gain knowledge of the main concepts of Autoethnography and will have an opportunity to apply the knowledge in a practical, hands-on exercise.

Structure

1. Introduction to Autoethnography: The course will begin with an overview of autoethnography, including its definition, key principles, and its place within qualitative research. Participants will learn how it interweaves personal stories with broader cultural contexts.
2. Philosophical foundations: Participants will explore the theoretical underpinnings of autoethnography, including its connections to ethnography, narrative inquiry, and postmodernism. Discussions will include the importance of subjectivity and reflexivity in research.
3. Writing personal narratives and data collection: A key focus will be on the craft of writing personal narratives. Participants will be guided on how to articulate their experiences in a way that is both engaging and informative, emphasizing the need to connect personal stories to larger cultural issues. The course will cover various methods for collecting data, such as journals, reflective writing, and interviews, helping participants gather rich and meaningful material for their narratives.
4. Analysis and Interpretation: Participants will learn techniques for analyzing their narratives, identifying themes, and situating their experiences within wider cultural and social contexts, as well as existing literature.
5. Feedback and Peer Review: Finally, opportunities for sharing work and receiving feedback from peers will be a part of the short course, fostering a collaborative environment for growth and improvement in autoethnographic practice.

Goals

Upon successful completion of the course, participants:

• will gain familiarity and understanding of the selected interpretative methodological approaches.
• will gain knowledge of primary research literature within contexts related to a selected methodological approach.
• will apply the knowledge in own research.
• will apply and further develop ideas and concepts within own specific research context.
• will develop their academic writing skills.