Doing Memory Work in the Third Space Between Self and Community: An Auto-Ethnography

• Main Author: barajas, salvador
• Format: Others
• Published: VCU Scholars Compass 2014
• Subjects: autoethnohraphy; photography; documentary; oral narratives; collaborative; social memory; American Studies; Appalachian Studies; Digital Humanities; Visual Studies
• Online Access: http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/3665; http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4664&context=etd

This thesis explores social memory, migration, place and belonging and cultural citizenship in Pulaski, Virginia, after the North American Free Trade Agreement (1994). Through the lens of autoethnography, a participant-researcher model, I look closely at the affects that globalization has had on the economic and cultural life of this semi-rural community. The Autoethnographic approach has allowed me to reflect on my role as the co-author of oral and written narratives, a communal archive of historical images and a collection of collaborative photography. The impact of this thesis is, in part, a deeper understanding of collective social memory and the research we do on this subject exists in the border space between the self and community. As such, participant based modes of inquiry can help us help address the needs of academic institutions and expectation of community partners with a greater degree of success.