Can the subaltern speak in autoethnography?: knowledging through dialogic and retro/intro/pro-spective reflection to stand against epistemic violence

Abstract

In this rather unorthodox dialogic autoethnography, our discussions revolve mainly around two main questions: Does autoethnography offer qualitative researchers (us) any affordances to respond to epistemic violence in the field of applied linguistics? If so, what are possible ways to generate de/colonizing knowledge through autoethnography without falling into the trap of epistemic violence ourselves? Throughout the manuscript, we take the liberty to express our beliefs/thoughts/emotions in the most personal ways possible. Talking to each other as well as our readers/listeners/companions, we problematize the global north/south, East/West, center/periphery, conformist/critical knowledging binaries and corresponding hierarchies precipitating theft and appropriation. To us, retro/intro/pro-spective reflection and dialogic communication are two possible ways to address epistemic violence with a particular focus on theft and appropriation. Later, drawing on our lived experiences, we discuss the ramifications of making pragmatic choices to further de/colonize research practices through autoethnography.