Transformative Autoethnography for Practitioners: Change Processes and Practices for Individuals and Groups

Can transformation be the primary goal of autoethnographic research? In this book, the authors provide proof that this is indeed possible. Since autoethnography first appeared as a nascent approach to social inquiry, much has been written about it as a useful addition to the field of qualitative research methods. Over the years, its usage has been extended across various disciplines including the humanities, human services, social sciences, leadership studies, engineering, education, counseling, and even medical education. Notably, the primary function of autoethnography to advance our understanding around sociocultural phenomena has been increasingly paired with a parallel function of the many ways in which this research method can also contribute to practice. However, though its contribution to scholarship is well documented, less has been written about its practical usage as the focal point of inquiry. Yet there is growing evidence that one of the emerging strengths of autoethnography is its transformative capabilities. In Transformative Autoethnography for Practitioners, Hernandez, Chang and Bilgen turn the spotlight on autoethnography as a tool for practitioners where the primary goal is to solve real world problems by facilitating transformational change at the individual, group and/or organizational levels. They draw on existing scholarship as well as their collective work and expertise to provide a Transformative Autoethnographic Model (TAM) for use by practitioners who are intent on effecting such changes in their respective contexts.

The introduction to Transformative Autoethnography for Practitioners provides an overview and an explanation of different approaches and variations of single focused ethnographic work (SAE) and collaborative autoethnography (CAE). It also presents and discusses in detail the TAM framework as consisting of several iterative steps. Parts 1-3 are each comprised of two chapters. The first chapter of each section situates the discussion of the AE/CAE for transformation at the individual, group and organizational level in the relevant literature. In the second chapter of each section, the authors provide examples, practical details and resources about how to apply TAM within each context. The book ends with a final chapter which explores future applications and directions for the TAM-AE/CAE model across various contexts, including in digital spaces.

Kathy-Ann C. Hernandez, Ph.D. is a Professor of Leadership in the College of Business and Leadership and co-chair of the Ph.D. Program in Organizational Leadership at Eastern University in Pennsylvania. Dr. Hernandez is also CEO of Nexe Consulting and regularly consults with school districts, churches, schools, government offices, and colleges and universities nationally and internationally. She is a scholar/activist who has collaborated to conceptualize, secure funding, implement, manage and evaluate several university-community partnership programs. In recognition of her work, she was awarded the Marlene Smigel Korn Humanitarian Award for excellent contribution in teaching, scholarship and/or service from the College of Education at Temple University. Dr. Hernandez is a trained research methodologist who is actively involved in conducting research, facilitating research workshops, and teaching and advising on social science research methods and program evaluation. She has authored several book chapters and articles and serves as a co-editor for the International Journal of Multicultural Education. She is the co-author of Collaborative Autoethnography (2013) with Heewon Chang and Faith Wambura Ngunjiri, as well as the author/presenter on several other autoethnographic-related scholarship projects. Her work has appeared in the Handbook of Autoethnography, The International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, and The Journal of Research Practice. Her career mission is to bridge the gap between scholarship and practice through the sound application of research findings to solving real world problem. To this end, her research is focused on the salience of race/ethnicity, gender, spirituality, and social context in identity formation, leadership development, and social and academic outcomes for marginalized populations. She is also committed to interrogating and fostering the leadership development experiences of women and minorities in academic and public settings.

Heewon Chang, PhD, is Professor at Eastern University, USA, and serves as the Chair of the PhD in Organizational Leadership program. Over 30 years in higher education, her teaching and research focus has expanded from education to organizational leadership. Despite the disciplinary shift, she has maintained her love for qualitative research, justice-oriented scholarship, the global mindset for cultural diversity and multiculturalism, systems thinking for organizations and leadership, and basic and higher education. Her teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels reflect her scholarly commitment to these topics. Besides teaching she enjoys providing mentoring to students through dissertation advising and fellow scholars through journal editing. In addition to helping over 20 students complete their dissertation journeys, she founded two academic journals, including the International Journal of Multicultural Education. As Editor-in-Chief for 20 years, she had the privilege of working with over a thousand authors who pursued educational equity for diverse students in various global contexts. She has published four books, including Adolescent Life and Ethos (1992), Autoethnography as Method (2008), Spirituality in Higher Education (2011, co-edited), and Collaborative Autoethnography (2013, co-authored). Among various articles and book chapters she has published, some on the topic of autoethnography have appeared in Qualitative Health Research (2016), Journal of Autoethnography (2020), Handbook of Autoethnography (2013; 2022), and Handbook of Sociological Ethnography (2022). She still wakes up every day with a belief that our world would be a better place if we care for the self with the consideration of others and our collective environment.

Wendy A. Bilgen is an online adjunct instructor for Cornerstone University, Professional and Graduate Studies (PGS). She also maintains a private counseling and consulting practice in Turkey where she has lived for the past two decades. Her Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership is from Eastern University and her dissertation was an autoethnographic study joining dialogical self theory and intersectionality with social justice leadership identity theories to explore how diverse, multifaceted personal identities interact within challenging power-filled contexts. Her professional and research interests have aligned with her life purpose exploring and developing narrative practices through diverse forms of inquiry. Interacting with the stories and experiences of self and others at the intersection of identity, culture, and spirituality have focused her activities as an edge-walking practitioner, dividing time between teaching, counseling, speaking, research, and writing in the U.S. and Turkey. Through her work she hopes that voices normally held at the margins of society would be stimulated to speak new wisdom and knowledge into all levels of society in order to stimulate social innovation and healing in individuals, organizations, communities, and societies around the globe.