Autoethnographic Mother-Writing: Advocating Radical Specificity

• Main Author: Patty Sotirin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Athabasca University Press 2010-01-01
• Series: Journal of Research Practice
• Subjects: autoethnography; momoir; Deleuze; difference; radical specificity
• Online Access: http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/220/189

In considering the similarities between "momoirs"--popular memoirs written by mothers about motherhood experiences--and evocative autoethnographic mother-writing, I argue that differentiating these two forms of intimate observation and personal narrative requires a rethinking of autoethnographic practice. Specifically, I draw on the work of Gilles Deleuze to advocate for a radical specificity in autoethnographic writing. Thinking the autoethnographic narrative in terms of specificities and differences encourages us to think creatively about personal experiences and cultural relations beyond what is shared and communicable.