Collective biography and memory work : girls reading fiction

Collective biography draws on memory work methods developed initially by feminist sociologists (Haug et al., 1987) where people collaboratively examined the social and discursive resources through which they take themselves up as particular gendered subjects in the world. Their own memories become resources to investigate processes of subjectification and socialisation. Collective biography has affinities with narrative and autoethnographic research methods in its attention to how people tell stories about their lives, however its particular processes, assumptions and analytical practices differ: Its use of story-telling and writing makes it an appealing research method for people from English teaching backgrounds. Collective biography can be the central method in a research project or it can complement an inquiry that predominantly uses other methods. This paper briefly outlines collective biography and gives an example of how it was used in two collaborative projects that explored girls' reading practices.