Meaningful Journeys

Autoethnographies of Quest and Identity Transformation

Alec Grant editor Elizabeth Lloyd-Parkes editor

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd

Published:12th Apr '24

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

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Meaningful Journeys cover

Meaningful Journeys is an edited collection of autoethnographies underpinned by the conceptual, philosophical, and etymological origins of ‘journeying,’ ‘questing,’ and traditional and modern understandings of ‘pilgrimage.’

The volume contains chapters on the ways in which all these concepts intersect with identity and identity transformation. These range across narratives of sport; adventure; preferred identity; curative religion; revered location; nostalgia; grief resolution; ‘out of suitcase’ travels; and pilgrimage journeys understood in more traditional senses. The collection showcases and promotes the identity transformational quest as an important conceptual nuance of narrative autoethnography. Readers will engage with the ways in which contributing authors craft their emerging selves into preferred identities, which showcase personal and relational change in action.

This book is essential reading for students and practitioners of autoethnography and qualitative research internationally and others interested in identity transformation in narrative inquiry.

"This an intriguing book. Apart from being scholarly, it is of huge interest. I found myself transfixed by many of the journeys described. The book can be read at several levels. Two were more apparent to me. First, there are the individual journeys and stories. In themselves these are fascinating. I wanted to know more about the authors than was present in even these more authentic autoethnographic accounts. Second, there are the implications for the reader and their own life journeys. Bono intoned, ‘I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.’ I wondered, have these authors found it? As readers we are indebted to Professor Grant and Dr Lloyd-Parkes for such a thoughtful collection of ‘travel’ accounts." -- Jerome Carson, PhD, Professor of Psychology, University of Bolton, UK


"This an intriguing book. Apart from being scholarly, it is of huge interest. I found myself transfixed by many of the journeys described. The book can be read at several levels. Two were more apparent to me. First, there are the individual journeys and stories. In themselves these are fascinating. I wanted to know more about the authors than was present in even these more authentic autoethnographic accounts. Second, there are the implications for the reader and their own life journeys. Bono intoned, ‘I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.’ I wondered, have these authors found it? As readers we are indebted to Professor Grant and Dr Lloyd-Parkes for such a thoughtful collection of ‘travel’ accounts." -- Jerome Carson, PhD, Professor of Psychology, University of Bolton, UK

"I view this work as a foundational piece for those aspiring to write, offering insights into the creation of meaningful narratives. These narratives span a spectrum from sports and adventure to personal identity, healing through faith, cherished places, nostalgia, overcoming sorrow, nomadic experiences, and spiritual quests...I recommend this book as a foundational text for readers from traditional and practice-based disciplines undertaking qualitative research methods, subscribing to autoethnographic inquiry, and exploring their meaningful journeys of quest and identity transformation. Finally, I also find this book beneficial for crafting my meaningful journeys of quest and identity transformation in the scholarship." -- Niroj Dahal, Kathmandu University, Nepal

ISBN: 9781032484761

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 460g

228 pages