Ethical confessions of the “I” of autoethnography: the student's dilemma
Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management
ISSN: 1746-5648
Article publication date: 8 May 2009
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to draw attention to a unique paradox concerning doing an autoethnography as a PhD. On the one hand, a student may feel a pull towards revealing a vulnerable, intimate, autoethnographic self, yet on the other hand she may be pushed away from this because the oral/viva voce examination process may deny the student anonymity. Through the telling of this tale the complexities concerning self‐disclosure and student autoethnography reveal are explored.
Design/methodology/approach
The tale is autoethnographic: a fictionalised account based on real events and co‐constructed from substantial field notes, personal diaries, e‐mails, and reports.
Findings
This paper contributes to relational ethics concerned with self‐disclosure and the “I” of a reveal, and highlight the possibilities for developing Medford's notion of mindful slippage as a strategy for removing highly personal and possibly harmful elements within student autoethnography.
Research limitations/implications
The paper provides a preliminary theoretical framework that has not been empirically tested and is situated within “introspective” autoethnographic research.
Originality/value
The paper takes an innovative approach to autoethnography, addressing ethical value systems specifically within a PhD context.
Keywords
Citation
Doloriert, C. and Sambrook, S. (2009), "Ethical confessions of the “I” of autoethnography: the student's dilemma", Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management, Vol. 4 No. 1, pp. 27-45. https://doi.org/10.1108/17465640910951435
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2009, Emerald Group Publishing Limited