The Urban Review

, Volume 49, Issue 1, pp 153–168 | Cite as

Positioning Self in “figured worlds”: Using Poetic Inquiry to Theorize Transnational Experiences in Education

Article
First Online:

Abstract

This study explores the process of using Holland et al. (Identity and agency in cultural worlds, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1998) “figured worlds” identity and agency theory to explore two scholars’ transnational experiences. Using poetic inquiry as a data analysis tool, this study seeks to (re)position how identity work is theorized and analyzed across broader contexts. Data collection consisted of online discussions, reflective journals, and biographical artifacts to better contextualize our discussions. These co-constructed discussions were transcribed and analyzed using poetic inquiry to better capture and articulate experiential themes of isolation, vulnerability, adaptation, and survival. This study serves three purposes (1) how both authors analyzed, interpreted and theorized our childhood experiences crossing borders using Holland et al. (Identity and agency in cultural worlds, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1998) “figured worlds” theory, (2) how poetic inquiry was used to capture the isolation, vulnerability, adaptation, and survival of one author’s experiences, and (3) how this type of reflexivity explicitly in/transforms theoretical approaches to deconstructing cultural identity and agency in a myriad of contexts, notably teacher education.

Keywords

Cultural identity Education Poetic inquiry Transnationalism Social justice 
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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Elementary EducationWestern Washington UniversityBellinghamUSA
  2. 2.School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum StudiesKent State UniversityKentUSA

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