TRAVERSING THE GREAT DIVIDE: WRITING THE SELF INTO QUALITATIVE RESEARCH AND NARRATIVE

Abstract

In this paper I seek to contribute to a growing understanding of the role of the self in qualitative forms of research and narrative. In calling upon the work of symbolic interactionists, postmodernists, and feminists, I explore how self-narrative might inform our scholarly work, both in terms of creating more advanced self-understandings and in promoting open and honest discussions about how our personal and professional lives intersect. After reviewing the philosophical rationale as well as various uses of self-narrative in social science and educational research, I examine my own deployment of self-reflexive writing as part of an effort to bridge the chasm between my personal life and my life in the academy.

Citation

Rhoads, R.A. (2003), "TRAVERSING THE GREAT DIVIDE: WRITING THE SELF INTO QUALITATIVE RESEARCH AND NARRATIVE", Studies in Symbolic Interaction (Studies in Symbolic Interaction, Vol. 26), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 235-259. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0163-2396(02)26015-9