Remembering and anticipating researcher vulnerability: an autoethnographic tale

Abstract

Whilst there is nascent literature surrounding researcher vulnerability, little is known about how memories and anticipations can elicit researcher vulnerabilities, and vulnerable academic writing can still be met with some scepticism. In this paper, I therefore provide an autoethnographic narrative of my encounters with researcher vulnerability during research into tattoos, time, and death. My tale revolves around three themes: Remembering vulnerabilities, (Un)anticipating vulnerabilities, and Fluctuating vulnerabilities. In doing so, I reveal not only how vulnerabilities can fluctuate through time and space, but also how past memories and future anticipations can stir present-day researcher vulnerabilities. Ultimately, I move beyond the ‘vulnerability as failure’ framing by helping to encourage an academic culture that celebrates being open about researcher vulnerability and writing more vulnerably.