Waikato Journal of Education
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Keywords

Ethics
identity
postcritical ethnography
stories

How to Cite

Fitzpatrick, E. (2015). What deathless powers: A conversation with Steinbeck to problematize the role of the ethnographic researcher in education. Waikato Journal of Education, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.15663/wje.v20i1.181

Abstract

'What deathless power lies in the hands' of the practitioner and researcher? Whilst designing an arts- based methodology, I considered Steinbeck's notion of the 'teacher who writes on children's minds' (Steinbeck, 1955). This paper tells the story of how I conversed with others as I considered and designed a study to critically explore my research question: What does it mean to be a Pākehā educator? As an emerging researcher I looked to mentors/guides/critical friends to enlarge my understanding of the role I was undertaking, represented here through a fictional conversation with John Steinbeck. For the purpose of my study I required a methodology that would enable me to engage in an in depth exploration of individual stories of contemporary Pākehā educators, whilst acknowledging my central role as both Pākehā and educator. I chose to take a postcritical ethnographic approach. 

https://doi.org/10.15663/wje.v20i1.181
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