Borges & Bike Rides: Toward an Understanding of Autoethnography

Authors

  • John O. Wamsted Georgia State University

https://doi.org/10.4471/qre.2012.09

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Abstract

In this article the author—a full-time high school mathematics teacher and concurrent doctoral candidate in Department of Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology at Georgia State University—will make a case for the use of an autoethnographic methodological tool he is calling narrative mining. He will begin by briefly summarizing his experiences attempting to write and publish autoethnography; a short story by Argentine mystery writer Jorge Luis Borges will serve as a frame to provide three examples of barriers the author believes lie between a writer and any attempt at self-knowledge. A partial solution to these barriers is proposed in the form of an examination of the personal stories a writer has told over time. An example is then shown, and a call made for a deeper look into the possible spaces opened up in a continued examination of the personal story.

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Author Biography

John O. Wamsted, Georgia State University

Doctoral Student in the Department of Middle-Secondary Education and Instructional Technology.

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Published

2012-10-30

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How to Cite

Wamsted, J. O. (2012). Borges &amp; Bike Rides: Toward an Understanding of Autoethnography. Qualitative Research in Education, 1(2), 179–201. https://doi.org/10.4471/qre.2012.09

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