Autoethnography as an ethically contested terrain: some thinking points for consideration

Abstract

In this article, I select items from various lists of published ethical guidelines for autoethnographers and use them as starting points prior to subjecting each to interrogation. This interrogation takes place via the following six thinking points: The (im)possibility of anonymity and confidentiality, the ownership of stories, informed consent, member checking, do no harm to others, and do no harm to self. Each of these reveals a contested and messy terrain as opposed to the neatness implied in the recommendations of ethical guidelines about how such research should be conducted. Throughout, I seek to demonstrate that autoethnography, like any other qualitative research approach, poses difficult, but not insurmountable ethical challenges. These need to be addressed in a principled and informed manner that necessarily rejects rigid assertions of ‘should do’ in favour of a more fluid notion of ‘it depends’ on time, context, culture and purpose.