Den sammanflätade kunskapen

Autoetnografins möjligheter i forskning om långvarig sjukdom

Abstract

In this article autoethnography is used as a method for making my own experiences of living with asthma visible, but also for reflecting upon how these experiences have affected my research. Using autoethnography in this way makes it possible to reflect upon the knowledge that is produced within ethnology and therefore also to create other perspectives on living with long-term illness. Instead of focusing on the bodily problems that illness can generate, the analysis shifts focus to social relations with other people. Here benevolence becomes a central theme to understand how categorizations of the “Vulnerable Other” work and what obstacles and limitations this brings with it in life with asthma. Autoethnography can therefore not only be about writing about one’s own experiences of a body with a long-term illness, but also about how autoethnography is intertwined with the experiences of others.