ABSTRACT

Carolyn Ellis is a prominent writer in the move toward personal, reflexive writing as an approach to academic research. In addition to her landmark books Final Negotiations and The Ethnographic I, she has authored numerous stories that demonstrate the emotional power and academic value of autoethnography.

Now issued as a Routledge Education Classic Edition, Revision: Autoethnographic Reflections on Life and Work collects a dozen of Ellis’s stories—about the loss of her husband, brother and mother; of growing up in small town Virginia; about the ethical work of the ethnographer; and about emotionally charged life issues such as abortion, caregiving, and love. Atop these captivating stories, she adds the component of meta-autoethography—a layering of new interpretations, reflections, and vignettes to her older work.

A new preface text by the author reflects on the subsequent developments in the author’s life and her vision for autoethnography since the book’s original publication. Demonstrating Carolyn’s extensive contribution to autoethnographic scholarship, this new edition offers compelling ideas and stories for qualitative researchers and a student-friendly text for courses.

chapter |10 pages

Introduction

Reflecting on Meta-Autoethnography

part I|59 pages

Growing Up in a Rural Community, Getting an Education, and Finding My Place in Community Ethnography

chapter 1|14 pages

Goin’ to the Store, Sittin’ on the Street, and Runnin’ the Roads

Growing Up in a Rural Southern Neighborhood

chapter 2|25 pages

Talking Across Fences

Race Matters

part II|37 pages

Becoming an Autoethnographer

chapter 4|11 pages

Reliving Final Negotiations

chapter 5|24 pages

Renegotiating Final Negotiations

From Introspection to Emotional Sociology

part III|96 pages

Surviving and Communicating Family Loss

chapter 6|16 pages

Surviving the Loss of My Brother

chapter 7|22 pages

Rereading “There Are Survivors”

Cultural and Evocative Responses

chapter 8|27 pages

Rewriting and Re-Membering Mother

part IV|70 pages

Doing Autoethnography as a Social Project

part V|65 pages

Reconsidering Writing Practices, Relational Ethics, and Rural Communities

chapter 13|16 pages

Writing Revision and Researching Ethically

chapter 14|47 pages

Returning Home and Revisioning My Story