Part 1: For the first step in your autoethnography, you should brainstorm at least TEN identities that you hold. This will help you think carefully about what aspects of your identity you might write about for this final paper.
Here is an example of my 10 identities:
• Teacher
• Adjunct professor
• Wife
• Misfit southern woman
• Former “poor kid”
• Diagnosed ADHD and Anxiety
• Oldest child
• Forever student
• Reader
• Dog person
Some of these are more interesting than others. I am likely not going to write a paper about being a dog person or wife, but they are components of who I am that may help me think about my identity as I start to think about my upcoming essay.
Part 2: Review the list you made and pick ONE identity to focus on for your paper.
Part 3: Now that you have selected an identity to focus on in your autoethnography, respond to the following questions to begin thinking about the idea:
- Has this identity formed, changed, or stayed the same throughout your life?
- If it has formed or changed, what events/people/etc. helped create that change?
- Why did you choose this identity to write about?
- How does this identity influence how others see/treat you?
- How does this identity influence how you see/treat others?
