In:Innovative Qualitative Methodologies in Multilingual Literacy Development Research: Amplifying voices from immigrant, transnational, and refugee communities
Edited by Amanda K. Kibler and Fares J. Karam
[Research Methods in Applied Linguistics 11] 2025
► pp. 232–252
Chapter 12Critical collaborative autoethnography
Published online: 7 April 2025
https://doi.org/10.1075/rmal.11.12chr
https://doi.org/10.1075/rmal.11.12chr
Abstract
This chapter explores the transformative potential that applying critical collaborative autoethnography can
have in the path towards decolonizing academic writing, a particular type of literacy practice. Traditional research
methodologies, both quantitative and qualitative, are critiqued for marginalizing non-Western perspectives. We propose
a paradigm shift towards decolonizing methodologies, foregrounding our own positionality as multilingual researchers
navigating the complexities of academic publishing. We re-introduce the concept of critical friend as
a unique method for conducting autoethnographies. Thus, we advocate the use of critical collaborative
autoethnography to foster collective exploration of research subjectivity and power-sharing among
researcher-participants. This approach moves us beyond simply acknowledging positionality to embracing of
relationality in research, advocating for more collaborative inclusive research and multilingual literacy practices in
academia.
Article outline
- Introduction
- Overview of the study and its findings
- Literature review
- Methodology
- Findings and discussion
- Methodological discussion: Positionality for more equitable research
- Addressing positionality
- Methodological innovations
- Focusing on equity
- Implications for qualitative research on multilingual literacy development
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