Abstract
The expository essay is the most widely accepted way to report on research findings. In such an essay the researcher usually discusses the research problem, research question, background literature, methodology, data collection, implications and findings (Wade 2008:13). Most academics see this way of writing about research as the only valid way to do so. Theses and articles that explore other possibilities, such as through fiction writing, are often perceived as problematic as they do not fit the generally accepted conventional research practices. Yet the use of fiction as a research methodology is not unheard of and has, in fact, been well documented and discussed in academic literature. Narrative research is part of a larger school of poststructuralist thought and as an approach to research it has already found acceptance. Within this school of thought and practice different art forms are being tested as ways of doing research and reporting on research findings. Narrative research, which emerged from poststructuralist thought, is a well-established research approach. Within narrative research it is possible to experiment with different artistic forms and ways to approach research. In this article we focus on the genre of fiction as one such a form of expression.
The narrative approach is not concerned in the first instance with data and truth within the story, but rather with the story in and of itself, and particularly with the telling of the story as a way in which we construct our realities. The process of storytelling has meaning in and of itself, and not just the content of the story that can be broken up into fragments and analysed by means of themes, codes, and even computerised analysis. In the narrative approach no distinction is made between fact and fiction, between “story” and “history”.
This article is not an attempt at neutral or “objective” research on the question of how fiction can be used in the reporting of research. It is, rather, the unpacking of our conviction that fiction makes an enriching contribution to the process of doing research and interpreting it. This article is therefore a description of the road that both of us have already walked with fiction and research in order to reflect on the contribution that fiction, in our understanding, can make to the research process.
According to Caine, Murphy, Estefan, Clandinin, Steeves and Huber (2016:1) there are three objectives that can be achieved with “fictionalizing in narrative inquiry”: the protection of the identities of co-researchers, the creation of distance between ourselves and our experiences, and its use as an imaginative way to enrich the research space and the interpretation of research. Something that could possibly be added is that it also makes academic research more accessible to non-academic audiences.
It is interesting and important to discover that the accepted use of fictional names (pseudonyms) is, in actual fact, already a form of fiction writing. It is used out of ethical concern to protect people who participate in the research. The purpose of pseudonyms is to disguise time, place and other indicators of identity. One could also express the second objective above as “a process of creating an other to tell more” (Caine et al. 2016:3). Fiction creates the possibility of a deeper or thicker description (“more”) and at the same time also creates protection for the writer/researcher so that he/she does not become unnecessarily exposed and vulnerable.
The article is an exploration of how we have both used fiction in our research. We argue that fiction can add much value to the research process and reporting thereof through reflecting on our journey as researchers and how we have incorporated the use of fiction in our research. Julian looks specifically at the successes and challenges of using fiction as a way of reporting on a research project about ubuntu at the University of Pretoria, and Marguerite tells of her use of fiction in writing her PhD thesis on the theme of educator identity and anti-oppressive theory at the University of the Free State. Julian writes about the anxiety that many researchers have around the use of fiction as a research tool, as the perception still largely exist that research should be factual and scientific. However, he also writes about how the researchers on the ubuntu project came to use fiction to open up new research spaces and new readings of their narratives. Julian uses the example of one of his PhD students, John Eliastam, who uses auto-ethnography to create an emotionally resonating piece that shares many elements of fiction writing. This type of research reporting is shown as useful to help the researcher give expression to the emotions and feelings that usually form part of a research process, but often go unreported. It is also useful in drawing in the audience, and intentionally eliciting an emotional rather than a purely rational response from the reader.
In her thesis Marguerite creates a range of characters to tell the story of her research journey. The characters are based on real research participants and how their contributions helped the fictional narrative to take shape around academic theory. As such, fiction is used to grapple with theory, but also to bring it to life and create a text in which we can explore our understandings, and also look beyond the limits of what we understand. Fiction in this sense is used to push the boundaries of what is acceptable in academic writing and reporting, but also to push the boundaries of the researcher’s learning by bringing the what if question to the centre of the research process. The what if question propels the story forward and helps the researcher to explore unexplored territory as the story is formulated using the research theories, data and interpretations.
By reflecting on our use of fiction in our research we consider the use thereof for research practice in general and show how fiction can be used to unpack research findings; in other words, how the “facts” of research (themes, categories, cultural insights etc.) can be repackaged as fiction and how research reporting can become storytelling. This means that the so-called “facts” of research are integrated with fiction in order to create a living account of the research that demonstrates rather than tells.
Keywords: fiction; narrative; research method; research reporting
Lees die volledige artikel in Afrikaans: Die gebruik van fiksie vir die ontwikkeling en optekening van navorsing in die sosiale wetenskappe
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