Estelle Kruger gesels met die skrywer van 'n onlangse LitNet Akademies (Opvoedkunde)-artikel, Anna Hugo, en ook met Eleanor Lemmer, navorsingsprofessor aan die Universiteit van Suid-Afrika. Hulle gesels oor die volgende tema, waaroor dié artikel handel:
Hoekom het jy outo-etnografie as navorsingsmetode gekies?
Anna Hugo: Ek het met baie inligting gesit wat ek vir 'n toespraak voorberei het. Hierdie navorsing het baie van my tyd geneem en dus wou ek dit ook gebruik vir 'n artikel. Na 'n gesprek met Eleanor Lemmer (sy het 'n artikel oor outo-etnografie vir LitNet geskryf) het ek besluit dat die artikel mooi by outo-etnografie kan inpas. Dit was ook vir my 'n uitdaging en 'n genot om weer in Afrikaans te skryf, aangesien ek lanklaas iets in Afrikaans gepubliseer het. Daarom is ek so bly oor die groot werk wat LitNet doen om Afrikaans te bevorder.
Eleanor Lemmer: Autoethnography is still a fairly uncommon methodology in South Africa and I am encouraged by Anna Hugo’s employment of autoethnography in her fascinating article about her own experiences in teacher education over a lengthy period. Autoethnography requires a very specific skills set – a creative ability which produces a lively, evocative text, balanced by methodological precision and analytic engagement. It also requires risk-taking, since the writer is intentional about admitting personal vulnerabilities which all human beings share, but may normally hide – particularly in public academic discourse.
Wat is die verskil tussen etnografie en outo-etnografie?
AH: Outo-etnografie het te doen met die persoonlike belewenis van iemand, terwyl etnografie oor algemene gebeure gaan.
EL: I would add that ethnography is the study of a cultural group in which the researcher takes the role of participant-observer with a view to understanding social phenomena. The ethnographer’s “story” is acknowledged as playing an inescapable role in interpretation of findings, but it is certainly not the object of the study. In an autoethnography the writer deliberately aims to construct a portrait of the self as expressed in personal experience in order to understand social phenomena. Inner reflection is therefore regarded as a tool to deepen our knowledge of the world.
Behels outo-etnografie werklik navorsing? Is dit nie maar net 'n storie nie?
AH: Dit is wel navorsing, want alle stellings moet met feite van die gebeure van die dag bewys word.
EL: Autoethnographers maintain that their work can be rigorous, analytical and theoretical while at the same time being emotional, aesthetic and evocative. This is why it is important to write good autoethnography: to write a text which has both literary and so-called scientific merit. The champion of autoethnography, Carolyn Ellis, professor of sociology and communications, University of South Florida, argues that “autoethnographers view research and writing as socially-just acts; rather than a preoccupation with accuracy, the goal is to produce analytical, accessible texts that change us and the world we live in for the better.”
Hoe pas outo-etnografie binne die raamwerk van kwalitatiewe navorsing?
AH: Ek dink dit versterk kwalitatiewe navorsing, omdat dit nog 'n vorm van kwalitatiewe navorsing is wat gebruik kan word. Dit boekstaaf gebeure en die invloed van gebeure wat andersins verlore sou kon gaan.
EL: Autoethnography has invigorated social science research, not only qualitative research, by disrupting the boundaries of the conventional research meta-narrative. With it a new world of creativity has been unleashed in which researchers are now able to include aesthetic projects in their work: poetry, drama, painting, film, dance, photographic essays and dramatic performance. I refer interested readers to the 2013 Handbook of Autoethnography by Homan-Jones, Adams and Ellis to get a taste of what autoethnography has to offer.
Outo-etnografie is ook praktykgebaseerde navorsing. Hoe was dit vir jou om persoonlike aspekte (jou geleefde ervaring) met die kulturele te verbind?
AH: Dit was nie 'n probleem nie.
EL: I agree with Anna!
Omdat outo-etnografie wel 'n soort literêr-akademiese reis in narratiewe vorm is, moes jy tog wel van narratiewe beginsels (bv spanning) gebruik maak. Was dit vir jou moeilik of maklik en hoe het jy dit geïntegreer?
AH: Dit was nie moeilik nie, want dit was 'n reis in die verlede wat my baie laat nadink het.
EL: Interesting that Anna did not find this problematic. I found writing autoethnography very challenging. I was forced to confront my own memories of painful events and my own failures as an academic and a private individual. This was an opportunity for self-growth and life review, but it was not easy. During the writing of both autoethnographies which I have authored, I was often tempted to abandon the project – the possibility of unwelcome self-knowledge and of public self-disclosure was so intimidating.
Die narratief as verslagvorm maak dikwels gebruik van metafore. Was daar ander metafore wat jy oorweeg het behalwe dié van 'n kantoor wat herbou word? Hoe het dit jou gehelp om struktuur te vind vir jou verslag?
AH: Ek het ook die metafoor van die ivoortoring gebruik wat mooi ingepas het by die veranderinge in die universiteitswese. Dit het veral goed ingepas met die feit dat universiteite meer toeganklik moes word.
EL: Autoethnography is a wonderful vehicle to release the creative author which lies within even the “driest” academic! Since writing autoethnography I have returned to poetry and fiction writing which I had not touched since I was a schoolgirl. I also found doing this kind of creative writing has been important to develop my skills as a convincing autoethnographer.
Wie is/was jou veronderstelde lesers? Hoe het jy hul verbeelding geprikkel sodat hulle met jou reis kon identifiseer en uit jou gevolgtrekkings kon leer?
AH: Jong akademici wat dalk kan leer van die moeisame en lang proses om in die akademie te “groei”. Ouer akademici moet tog help om die “jong hout” in die bos te laat ontwikkel en groei.
Wat was die uitdagings/probleme wat jy ondervind het in jou keuse van outo-etnografie?
AH: Om struktuur aan die artikel te gee. Dit was vir my maklik om die drie periodes te identifiseer en te gebruik. Maar met die onderafdelings van die artikel is ek gehelp deur Ruth Albertyn (sy help soms by US) tydens 'n artikelskryfgeleentheid.
Wat het jy die meeste geniet in hierdie reis?
AH: Om te besin oor alles wat ten spyte van sommige moeilike veranderinge positief verander het in my werksomstandighede.
EL: Structure is a problem, as is condensing many experiences into a fairly short account. The best way to school oneself in this regard is to read the many excellent and diverse autoethnographies which have been published. Carolyn Ellis is a master in this regard.
As ons by die metafoor van 'n reis kan bly, wat was die dubbeltjies (bv die kritiek teen outo-etnografie as navorsingsmetode) op jou pad? Hoe het jy die dubbeltjies uit jou voet uitgetrek?
AH: Ek het eintlik net positiewe terugvoer van kollegas en vriende gekry. Wat baie moeilik was, was die feit dat die skryfproses baie lank was, want ek moes gedurig weer oplees en nadink om seker te maak dat ek alles korrek neerpen.
EL: I agree with Anna. Autoethnography seems to resonate with everyone – we are the stories we tell and we all have stories which are worthy of analytic engagement. But few academics are willing to dive into the waters. Again I am delighted that Anna has taken the plunge and extended the use of autoethnography in education research. I also believe LitNet is to be commended for being willing to publish autoethnograpy. It is not so easy to find an academic platform for publishing autoethnography in South Africa.
Wat het jy uiteindelik van jouself geleer?
AH: Die voorreg wat dit is om aan 'n universiteit verbonde te kan wees en om te kan groei – kennis van vakgebiede, maar ook selfkennis en lewensinsig.
The post Outo-etnografie, reise in die verlede en dubbeltjies op die navorsingspad appeared first on LitNet.