Dialoguing Difference in Joint Ethnographic Research: Reflections on Religion,Sexuality,and Race

In this essay, we build on the relationship between autoethnography and reflexivity by blending traditional practices of ethnography—thick description, emphasis on theory, etc.—with innovative methods such as first-person narrative, dialogue, and rhetorical collage. In doing so, we highlight the layered nature of the relationship between researchers. Our experience suggests that dialogue functioned reflexively on multiple levels, allowing tensions in our relationship to surface. Differences in our personalities and persons (i.e., religion, sexual orientation, skin color, academic experience) that were muted in our everyday academic environments emerged while working in the field. In particular, the tensions of the field disrupted previous narratives, requiring a new narrative for the continuation of the research project and creation of a friendship. Overall, we argue that reflexivity allows us to navigate the tensions inherent in our relationship and arrive at a new place of mutual understanding within our differences.