Autoethnography: Personal Experience and Relflexivity

Abstract

Autoethnography has emerged as a novel approach in ethnography since the 1970s. This article, by tracing the history of ethnography development, from “armchair ethnography” to “participatory ethnography” and then “autoethnography”, firmly indicates new advances in the search for new methods to comprehend and elucidate cultural phenomena. The article suggests that autoethnography is identified as a distinctive qualitative method that seeks to understand culture from an insider’s perspective, interpreting cultural phenomena based on the viewpoints of those within the studied community rather than imposing an outsider’s perspective. Essentially, autoethnography serves as an intersection between autobiography and ethnography. Researchers employ their personal experiences to describe the cultural phenomena under study, record their thoughts, and present their findings through self-reflection, infused with emotions regarding their subjects of interest. Although there are no specific guidelines for writing autoethnography, researchers concur that this form of selfreflection functions both as a research method and as a cultural reflection through the lens of insiders.