(De) facing the self: Poststructural disruptions of the autoethnographic text

E de Freitas, J Paton - Qualitative Inquiry, 2009 - journals.sagepub.com
E de Freitas, J Paton
Qualitative Inquiry, 2009journals.sagepub.com
This article draws on Lacanian theories of subjectivity to examine notions of the self in
autoethnography. The authors discuss philosophical differences between Humanist and
post-Humanist notions of the self and show how these notions are correlated to particular
self-study genres, such as confession and testimony. The authors argue that
autoethnographic narratives exhibit contradictory tendencies toward both Humanist and post-
Humanist conceptions of subjectivity. Questionnaire responses from four participants are …
This article draws on Lacanian theories of subjectivity to examine notions of the self in autoethnography. The authors discuss philosophical differences between Humanist and post-Humanist notions of the self and show how these notions are correlated to particular self-study genres, such as confession and testimony. The authors argue that autoethnographic narratives exhibit contradictory tendencies toward both Humanist and post-Humanist conceptions of subjectivity. Questionnaire responses from four participants are analyzed for evidence of this contradiction. The article concludes by suggesting that resolving the contradiction is neither possible nor desirable.
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