Autobiographical Writing Across the Disciplines: A Reader (Hardcover)

~ Diane P.Freedman (Editor), Olivia Frey (Editor), Ruth Behar (Contributor), Carlos L.Dews (Contributor), Merrill Black (Contributor), David Richman (Contributor), Bonnie Tusmith (Contributor), Donald M.Murray (Contributor), Carla L.Peterson (Contributor), Robert D.Marcus (Contributor), James Cone (Contributor), Laura DuhanKaplan (Contributor), Sara Ruddick (Contributor), Eunice Lipton (Contributor), Peter Hamlin (Contributor), Julie Tharp (Contributor), Deborah Lefkowitz (Contributor) "It is becoming more important for academics to include part of our self-knowledge in work we present for collective endorsement..." (more)
Key Phrases: autobiographical scholarship, autobiographical literary criticism, autobiographical criticism, New York, United States, Black Mountain (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[A]n exciting, important, and well-edited collection of essays... The book is a pleasure to read; the selections are gracefully written and provide good models for how to incorporate autobiographical elements into scholarship... I highly recommend Autobiographical Writing; it is an insightful and inspiring volume that belongs on the bookshelves of any scholar, student, or interested reader who has ever pondered the connection between the autobiographical and the academic, in other words, the connection between who we are and what we study."--Gesa E. Kirsch, NWSA Journal

Product Description

Autobiographical Writing Across the Disciplines reveals the extraordinary breadth of the intellectual movement toward self-inclusive scholarship. Presenting exemplary works of criticism incorporating personal narratives, this volume brings together twenty-seven essays from scholars in literary studies and history, mathematics and medicine, philosophy, music, film, ethnic studies, law, education, anthropology, religion, and biology. Pioneers in the development of the hybrid genre of personal scholarship, the writers whose work is presented here challenge traditional modes of inquiry and ways of knowing. In assembling their work, editors Diane P. Freedman and Olivia Frey have provided a rich source of reasons for and models of autobiographical criticism.

The editors’ introduction presents a condensed history of academic writing, chronicles the origins of autobiographical criticism, and emphasizes the role of feminism in championing the value of personal narrative to disciplinary discourse. The essays are all explicitly informed by the identities of their authors, among whom are a feminist scientist, a Jewish filmmaker living in Germany, a potential carrier of Huntington’s disease, and a doctor pregnant while in medical school. Whether describing how being a professor of ethnic literature necessarily entails being an activist, how music and cooking are related, or how a theology is shaped by cultural identity, the contributors illuminate the relationship between their scholarly pursuits and personal lives and, in the process, expand the boundaries of their disciplines.

Contributors:

Kwame Anthony Appiah
Ruth Behar
Merrill Black
David Bleich
James Cone
Brenda Daly
Laura B. DeLind
Carlos L. Dews
Michael Dorris
Diane P. Freedman
Olivia Frey
Peter Hamlin
Laura Duhan Kaplan
Perri Klass
Muriel Lederman
Deborah Lefkowitz
Eunice Lipton
Robert D. Marcus
Donald Murray
Seymour Papert
Carla T. Peterson
David Richman
Sara Ruddick
Julie Tharp
Bonnie TuSmith
Alex Wexler
Naomi Weisstein
Patricia Williams

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Duke University Press (January 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822332000
• ISBN-13: 978-0822332008
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,090,761 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)