Creating Autoethnographies

Creating Autoethnographies is an introduction to autoethnography, a form of autobiographical personal narrative that explores the writer's experience of life. One of the first practical texts on this increasingly popular research method, it provides a background to and considers some of the criticisms of the approach. It is suitable for all social science students, both at postgraduate and upper level undergraduate stage.

The structure of the book mirrors the process of writing about experience, from establishing an idea through to the process of writing and the development of creative writing skills, and provides detailed worked examples of the whole process. The final two chapters are devoted to exploring two cases in which readers can see the principles discussed in action. There is also a wide range of case studies drawn from a variety of social science disciplines and exercises throughout the text.

In Creating Autoethnographies, Tessa Muncey identifies a number of trends in social science research ûincluding the increasing focus on the individual and giving a voice to health service users and carers ûthat are resulting in an increase of interest in narrative research, making this text a timely and path-breaking contribution to a burgeoning field in social research.