The whole is in every part: A working-class woman’s experiences in academia
Reconciliation and inclusion are words that permeate throughout academia, and yet universities remain unsafe for many individuals who come from marginalized communities. Through the critical autoethnographic method, this research investigates the personal experiences of one working-class woman in a university and connects her experiences to broader sociological phenomena. Much like a kaleidoscope, identifying the patterns in one’s personal stories requires that those stories are first brought into the light. This research reveals some of the ways that oppression can harm marginalized bodies, the precariousness of physical and emotional safety for working-class women, and the ways that hierarchies and social divisions are maintained within the academy. This research also sheds light on the ways that marginalized students navigate and persevere through the university system. Just as a small shift of a kaleidoscope can dramatically transform what the viewer sees, this critical autoethnographic research aims to raise the consciousness of individuals—both the researcher and readers—so that we might see our life experiences in a new way, and to use this reframing of experience to work toward social justice.
critical autoethnography, intersectionality, social class, social justice education, women, working-class, university
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