This article explores the nuances of applying Actor-Network Theory (ANT) to autoethnography. The authors argue that ANT-informed autoethnography may broaden the understanding of how social and material networks are interrelated and can influence research. Two divergent autoethnographic vignettes are analyzed to illustrate how ANT-informed autoethnography may differ from other forms of autoethnography. ANT-informed autoethnography may be helpful when researchers wish to understand better the diverse political, social, and economic interactions and knowledge among actors and then offer insight into how these engagements affect our lifeworlds. The paper concludes with implications and recommendations for autoethnographers who utilize ANT in their research.
Living in a Material World: An Actor-Network Theory of Autoethnography Available to Purchase
Robert C. Mizzi is the Canada Research Chair in Queer, Community, and Diversity Education and an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba. His scholarly work appears in multiple academic journals, including the Journal of Homosexuality and the Journal of Continuing Higher Education. He is a co-editor of the Handbook of Adult and Continuing Education (2020). He is a member of the Royal Society of Canada and the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame.
Jordan Laidlaw is a PhD candidate in Educational Administration at the University of Manitoba, is a public-school music teacher, and is involved in union activism serving as the Executive of his Local Teachers’ Association. His research and advocacy largely focus on teachers’ informal leadership practices, the intersections of educational labor and well-being, and music and arts education.
Robert C. Mizzi, Jordan Laidlaw; Living in a Material World: An Actor-Network Theory of Autoethnography. Journal of Autoethnography 1 January 2024; 5 (1): 21–38. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/joae.2024.5.1.21
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