Meditation and Football Fever. On the Potential, Limitations, and Closings of Autoethnography

Abstract

The article undertakes discussion within dispute between the representatives of “evocative” and “analytical” fields of autoethnography. The main assumption of the text is that these two approaches can be combined, using the advantages of each. The author points out the limitations of the “evocative” approach and criticizes its main assumptions concerning the lack of commitment to development of theory in social sciences. It is considered reasonable to take into account reflective analysis on the role the researcher has in the research process. It does not seem, however, that researcher’s entanglement in normative and social structure can prevent the formation of more general explanations. This can be achieved due to diversification of available empirical data, for example, in the form of interviews with other members of the culture, or content analysis. Emphasizing of evocative values need not be in contradiction with the pursuit of exploring the order of social organization and indigenous cultural patterns. In the article, some samples from research fields are considered. Autoethnography of meditation and fandom culture enables not only to expand the knowledge on these phenomena but also points out limitations and advantages of the method at hand.