Interpretive Autoethnography

Bringing in elements of postmodernism and interpretive social science, Denzin re-examines the biographical and autobiographical genres as methods for qualitative researchers. The book points up the inherent weaknesses in traditional biographical forms, and outlines a new way in which biographies should be conceptualized and shaped. The book provides a guide to the assumptions of the biographical method, to its key terms, and to the strategies for gathering and interpreting such materials. Denzin introduces the key concept of ‘epiphany’, or turning points in person’s lives. Along the way, a host of examples are provided from the author’s own work and others, making this an extremely useful volume for qualitative researchers.