Autoethnography's Family Values: Easy Access to Compulsory Experiences

Abstract

This essay outlines one trajectory through autoethnography's embattled terrain at a specific historical/personal moment. The essay begins with an appreciation of autoethnography, at least as compared to its positivist alternatives, but also articulates a suspicion of autoethnography's pursuit of legitimacy. Here, the author articulates the double bind between the epistemic and aesthetic demands of autoethnography and autoethnographic performance. The essay closes by articulating strategies to resist the “family values” of everyday discourse that privilege values of transparency over indeterminacy.