ABSTRACT
Chapter 1 explores autoethnography as a method of qualitative inquiry. After defining autoethnography as writing about culture through the deployment of the self, the chapter proceeds by writing an autoethnography of authoethnography culture. It examines the fundamental ways autoethnographers deploy the self (who?), delve into their subjects (what?), and devise themselves on the page (how?). Throughout, the author includes numerous entries about his own experiences in the field, including commentary on the work of other autoethnographers, observations about his previously published work, and personal reflections about the writing within the chapter. The chapter ends by presenting a number of writing prompts and a sample autoethnography, entitled “On the Joy of Connections.”
