Autoethnography as a tool for transformative learning about white privilege

Abstract

In this article, the author shares a personal experience using autoethnography as a tool for transformative learning about the impact of whiteness on his actions, words, and attitudes. Autoethnography is an emerging qualitative research method that uses the autobiographical materials of the researcher as the primary data and emphasizes cultural analysis and interpretation of one's behaviors, thoughts, and experiences in relationship to others in society. After reviewing the basic tenets of the autoethnographic method, the author tells a story of a personal experience in an interracial dialogue group and the transformative insights gained through autoethnographic analysis. © 2008 SAGE Publications.