Friendly Writing as Non-inquiry: The Problems of Collective Autoethnographic Writing About Collective Autoethnographic Writing

Abstract

We are a group of evocative autoethnographers who have been cooperating on various autoethnographic projects for several years. In the article, we deal with the problem related to the realization of a project concerning collective autoethnographic writing. The idea seemed quite simple: By referring to the previous events related to the writing of collective autoethnography and the event of current writing, we wanted to grasp what it is and what it does to us. It turned out to be much more difficult than we had thought. Our attempt to tell a story about the experience of experiencing collective autoethnographic writing was questioned during the process of writing. We started asking ourselves why our project had been falling apart. Did we experience something unspoken? This article is an insight into the unspoken matter. We are posing a question about reconsidering the inquiry of collective writing in the spirit of evocative autoethnography.

The Praise of Collective Autoethnography

“…During the writing as inquiry (Richardson, 2000; Speedy, 2005), it turned out that it was not possible to capture what was happening during co-writing. Words did not represent anything, words co-created; they were a blend of a friendly assembly, where each meeting was a unique event, a new stream in which we became together (Pławski et al, 2018). After finding out that it was impossible to capture the transformation in writing and to write about it another text, we returned to this article.…”

“…Not a lure, but a cocoon. As if friendly writing (Pławski et al, 2018) filled in for friendship entirely. Words, being in words, creating alternative realities on paper—a substitute for real action and being.…”

Dydaktyka na scenie. Autoetnografia performatywna performansów studentów i wykładowcy

“…Nasze zapiski nie są też danymi, które otworzą prawdę, gdy zastosuje się wobec nich określoną praktykę (zob. Pławski et al 2019). Są śladami przywołującymi zróżnicowane wspomnienia.…”

Diary of an assistant professor: Invasion of neoliberal-zombie reform in Polish universities

“…As Denzin states, ‘auto-ethnography IS NOT research per se, it is performance’ (Denzin, 2018: 31, notes 1). In the text on the experience of writing collective auto-ethnography, we stated that we were dealing with non-inquiry (Pławski et al., 2019). Auto-ethnography is not a mirror, it is a hammer (Denzin, 2018; Madison, 2010).…”