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Copyright

Fabiola Camuti; Annemijn van der Schaar;

Published On

2025-10-24

Page Range

pp. 311–334

Language

  • English

Print Length

24 pages

15. Autoethnography in Performance Studies

The Performativity of Queer Parenting

Chapter of: Performance Research Methods: Interdisciplinary Methods for Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies(pp. 311–334)
This chapter contributes to the discourse on methodologies in performance studies by examining autoethnography, highlighting its core elements, challenges, and applications.1 This method involves reflexive engagement with personal experiences and ethnographic self-exploration within a socio-cultural context, blending the roles of researcher and subject to uncover insights into personal narratives. The study builds on the work of Carolyn Ellis, Arthur Bochner, Stacy Holman Jones, Heewon Chang, and Tony E. Adams. The chapter includes a case study titled ‘Who’s the real mother: the performativity of queer parenting’. Performativity, in this context, refers to how actions and behaviours shape and reveal identities and social roles. This case study provides insights into the practical application of the method and the use of a theoretical lens to analyse personal experiences. It demonstrates how identity construction, societal expectations, and role negotiations are embedded in queer parenting. Additionally, the chapter discusses a participatory theatre project with formerly incarcerated individuals, showcasing the versatility of autoethnography in diverse and interdisciplinary research settings. By integrating theoretical foundations, case studies, and practical examples, this chapter enhances understanding of autoethnography and its ability to reveal the intricate nature of lived experiences.

Contributors

Fabiola Camuti

(author)
Professor of Critical Creative Pedagogies at University of the Arts Utrecht
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1097-2957

Fabiola Camuti (she/her) is Professor of Critical Creative Pedagogies at HKU University of the Arts Utrecht. She has been a visiting researcher and practitioner in various countries and institutions (Italy, France, Denmark, UK, US, NL), as well as a researcher and lecturer at the Departments of Theatre Studies (University of Amsterdam) and Media and Culture (Utrecht University), and at the Professorship Art Education as Critical Tactics (ArtEZ University of the Arts). She conducts research, leads projects, and gives seminars on topics including socially-just pedagogies and pedagogies of care, participatory arts, politics of arts and cultural education, and artistic research. Additionally, she is chair of the HKU Research Ethics Committee and serves as programme leader of Research in Education for the KUO sector (Dutch Association of Universities of Applied Sciences), where she coordinates a national working group aimed at strengthening the knowledge ecosystem and research culture within art universities.

Annemijn van der Schaar

(author)
researcher, guest lecturer, and trained anthropologist currently pursuing a PhD at University of Humanistic Studies
https://orcid.org/0009-0002-2787-0842

Annemijn van der Schaar (they/them) is a researcher, guest lecturer, and trained anthropologist currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Humanistic Studies in Utrecht. Situated within mad studies and trans studies, their work draws on lived experience to examine questions of hermeneutical (in)justice for people with psychiatric diagnoses. Their research critically engages with epistemic marginalisation, exploring how knowledge, power, and care intersect. Annemijn uses a range of methodologies, including autoethnography, narrative research, and arts-based approaches, and has conducted research in the field of Disability Studies.