Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to develop an original method of autoethnographic poetry to explore diasporic Caribbean identity, its intersections and constructs. I will critically analyse my lived experience to understand my place in the world as a diasporic woman. The research examines the ways my poetry, as a form of qualitative research, interrogates and reimagines diasporic Caribbean identities and spaces. I will demonstrate how poetry and my process of crafting poems can be used as a reflexive tool to explore researcher positionality. I identify autoethnographic poetry as a method that can interrogate entanglements of language as a result of the colonial encounter, and also show how those legacies shape everyday lived experience of diasporic Caribbean identities.To inform my poetry, I conducted nine interviews with nine different people retelling their experiences in relation to the Santiago de Cuba carnival (SdCC). Poetry offers a creative and critical way to present my research, whilst also challenging conventional ways of producing academic knowledge. My way of working seeks to evolve autoethnography as a methodology. I have developed an original method that draws on lived and imagined experiences (mine, my grandfather’s and my interviewees’) to inform my own autoethnographic poetry, which is critical, creative, personal. My autoethnographic poetry seeks to provide insight into diasporic identity, and challenge conventional academic writing. The significance of this study is that my approach informs our understanding of spaces configured as Caribbean and lived and imaginary diasporic lives.
| Date of Award | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Jessica Moriarty (Supervisor) & Thomas Carter (Supervisor) |