Memoir as a form of auto-ethnographic research for exploring the practice of transnational higher education in China

Abstract

In this paper, I argue that memoir, as a form of auto-ethnographic research, is an appropriate method for exploring the complexities and singularities in the practice of western educational practitioners who are immersed in the social reality of offshore higher education institutions, such as those in Mainland China. I illustrate this proposition by showing how my own use of memoir is guided by a need to interrogate the unique experiences of my past life as 'the foreigner', 'the special one', 'the imported expert' and 'the cultural outsider', in order to lay bare the complexity of what it means to work and live in China as a foreign teacher and be recognised as different. I am interested in the notion of foreignness, and the ambiguities that arise when one operates as a teacher in a foreign culture, with a misguided and naïve understanding of one's own specialness as the foreign expert. My research methodology is based on critically reflective writing that acknowledges the multiplicity of historical, cultural and social differences, and the uniqueness of all individuals, whilst recognising that difference, at its heart, is a matter of relationship(s). This form of writing as educational research makes it possible to challenge some of the generalisations western scholars inadvertently make when writing about their teaching experiences in China.

Becoming-teacher as (in)activist: Feeling and refusing the force of university policy

“…Critical autoethnography derives much of its force from the foundational charge of feminist thought that the personal is (always) political: the ‘critical’ stance provides us ‘with clear and powerful theoretical frameworks … for understanding how [personal] stories help us write into or become the change we seek in the world’ (Holman Jones, 2016: 228). Feminist writers such as Stacy Holman Jones (2016), Joy Scott (2014) and Ruth Behar (1996) draw a genealogical line between what critical autoethnography can do and Donna Haraway’s influential essay, ‘Situated knowledges: The science question in feminism and the privilege of partial perspective’ (1988). I follow this line back to Haraway’s essay, remembering her work is foundational for feminist post-humanist thought.…”

Autoethnographic Research to Explore Instructional Design Practices for Distance Teaching and Learning in a Cross-Cultural Context

“…Autoethnography is a methodology that relies on researchers’ personal or professional experiences as the main data sources to expand the understanding of cultural phenomena in various contexts (Chang, 2013 ; Lee, 2020 ). Researchers have the opportunities to voice their concerns and make sense of their experiences within specific contexts (Kim & Reichmuth, 2021 ; Scott, 2014 ). The use of autobiographical data could encourage researchers’ self-reflexivity to deepen the significance of personal experiences within a unique sociocultural context (Chang, 2013 ; Lee, 2020 ; Scott, 2014 ).…”

“…Researchers have the opportunities to voice their concerns and make sense of their experiences within specific contexts (Kim & Reichmuth, 2021 ; Scott, 2014 ). The use of autobiographical data could encourage researchers’ self-reflexivity to deepen the significance of personal experiences within a unique sociocultural context (Chang, 2013 ; Lee, 2020 ; Scott, 2014 ). However, there are controversies regarding the concerns of researcher subjectivity in autoethnography, which requires researchers to acknowledge their position in the activity and the limitations of their perspectives and interpretations.…”

“…Autoethnography has been widely used to understand personal and sociocultural issues within diverse contexts (Chang, 2013 ). For instance, Scott ( 2014 ) used a personal memoir as a critically reflective way to interrogate his unique experiences as a foreign university instructor in China. The application of autoethnography not only allowed Scott to share his experiences, but it also allowed him to reflect on his relationships with others within a cultural context.…”

Plurality of Voices in Reflecting Upon the Research Process: Trajectories of Collaboration in an Argentinian Setting

“…Thirdly, the process also bears testimony to Anahí's and Mariela's emerging sense of agency and discretionary judgement as educators (Elliott, 2015), contributing in this way to their professional development and to the forging of an identity as educators marked by reflection, a critical spirit, and action (Elliott, 2015;Scott, 2014) and situated in an Argentinian setting that is simultaneously local and peripheral (Canagarajah, 2002).…”