Accidental ethnography : an inquiry into family secrecy / Christopher N. Poulos.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Poulos, Christopher N.

Series:

Writing lives--ethnographic narratives.

Writing lives--ethnographic narratives

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Ethnology--Authorship.

Ethnology.

Ethnology--Biographical methods.

Dysfunctional families.

Secrecy.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (218 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Walnut Creek, Calif. : Left Coast Press, c2009.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Each family has its secrets, ones that shape family communication and relationships in a way generally unknown to the outsider and often the family itself. Autoethnographers, students of these relationships, confront many silences in their attempts to understand these social worlds. It is often the accidental slip, the spontaneous discussion, the offhanded comment that opens this terrain of secrets to the conscientious storyteller. Accidental Ethnography delves into this shadowy world of pain and loss in the hopes of finding productive, ethical avenues for transforming the secret lives of families into powerful narratives of hope. It merges autoethnographic method with the therapeutic power of storytelling to heal family wounds. Poulos’s lyrical text will appeal to those in ethnography, interpersonal communication, and family relationships alike.

Contents:

Family secrets

Accidental ethnography

Dreaming autoethnography

Out of the shadows

Evoking archetypal themes in an ethnographic life

The storied life and the courage to connect.

Notes:

First published 2009 by Left Coast Press, Inc.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-315-43551-9

1-315-43552-7

1-315-43553-5

1-59874-715-0

9781315435534

OCLC:

711747399