Tension and possibility: navigating experiences in graduate studies through a/r/tographic currere

Abstract

This thesis is an artful act of resistance. Combining autoethnography, a/r/tography, and the method of currere to form an a/r/tographic currere, this work gathers narrative experiences in graduate studies. What is revealed are deep tensions in identity that are closely tied to experiences in schooling. Separated into four main parts, this thesis flows through visual and textu(r)al fragments to analyze and reflect on the past, present, and future. Fragments are analyzed through Biesta’s three functions of education (qualification, socialization, and subjectification) and synthesized toward a wider discussion of how living and learning in a knowledge economy has affected our educational experiences but our academic/teacher/researcher identities as well. To conclude, this thesis calls for deep reflection and action on the systems in which we learn, teach, and research and resistance of the consumerist relationship to education.