Open AccessInsights into the autoethnographical story through juxtaposing Indigenous, education, healthcare and ethical dimensions
Author(s) -
Mary Kay Smith
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
cultural and pedagogical inquiry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1916-3460
DOI - 10.18733/c39590
Subject(s) - autoethnography , indigenous , situated , storytelling , context (archaeology) , narrative , sociology , health care , circumpolar star , relevance (law) , engineering ethics , gender studies , political science , history , engineering , art , literature , law , ecology , physics , archaeology , astronomy , artificial intelligence , computer science , biology
Composing my autoethnographical story became a vast undertaking and an avenue to make known experiences of culture, health and family situated within a First Nation’s community. Unleashing the personal story within the cultural sociopolitical context in the autoethnographical form was realized to be a way to arouse genuine interest and to disrupt ingrained assumptions. In this article, perspectives garnered through the experiences of crafting an autoethnography as a doctoral nursing student and seeking ethical approval are delineated and challenged. Additionally, the intricacies of the autoethnographical story are depicted in association with Indigenous storytelling, ontology and relationality to further illuminate the decolonizing potential and relevance to culturally safe methodologies. This account may contribute to the growing acceptance, understanding and utilization of autoethnography within academia and beyond.