The Palgrave Handbook of Autoethnographic and Self-Study Education Research Methods

This edited handbook focuses on the methodological design of autoethnography and self-study. Contributions delve into the diverse usage of these novel methodologies, providing the reader with a range of applications, and researchers are presented with a full discussion of the challenges and the successes of the contributors’ experiences. Beginning with the important developments in contemporary philosophy and theory in autoethnography and self-study, the book goes on to examine critiques and misunderstanding surrounding these methods, how researchers can engage effectively and ethically with them, their impact on researcher identity, and how researchers design the methodology involved in their autoethnographic and self-study writings. Drawing on research conducted in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Continental Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia, the book will appeal to academics and researchers applying or researching autoethnography and/or self-study, as well as students deploying these approaches in their work and counsellors, psychologists and social workers who use self-narrative techniques with their clients.

Deborah L. Mulligan is Honorary Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Southern Queensland, Australia.

Meg Forbes is a social researcher and neurodivergent psychologist working in Outback Queensland, Australia.

Emilio A. Anteliz is an independent scholar in Toowoomba, Australia.

Patrick Alan Danaher is Professor Emeritus at the University of Southern Queensland, Australia.

“All in all, the Handbook teaches and reminds us of the originality, rigour and pitfalls of autoethnographic and self-study methods in contemporary education research.

… this Handbook is not just a collection of scholarly work presenting innovative methodologies. It symbolises a bridge made of intercultural narratives and transformative stories, connecting researchers, educators and students from the Global North to the Global South, and everywhere in between

The Handbook also represents what I would dare to call a provocation, challenging readers to unrethink their assumptions about education research itself…

The Palgrave Handbook of Autoethnographic and Self-Study Education Research Methods is the best instrument I would recommend for such intricate processes of rejuvenation.”

—Fred Dervin, University of Helsinki, Finland