FEMINIST AUTOETHNOGRAPHIES DURING COVID-19: RELEVANCE, IMPORTANCE AND IMPACT

Abstract

The paper makes an attempt to highlight the relevance and significance of feminist autoethnographical stories and experiences in the wake of Covid-19 crises. The Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lock-downs created prolonged stressful situations for women wherein they were compelled to discharge their professional duties within the confines of homes, home-school their children and juggle responsibilities of caring for family members besides other household chores without the traditional support of schools, colleges, crèches and household help.  The prolonged challenges of social isolation and a break in social support structures laid immense pressure on the women’s physical and mental well-being, resulted in psychosomatic disorders. The author understands that autoethnography is an empowering tool that allows the victim to look at their experiences with the benefit of hindsight and narrate “anecdotal and personal experiences” in her own voice for a better assessment of her well-being as well as to help health professionals get a better understanding of the trauma women may have suffered on account of difficult life circumstances. The noting of her own experiences also helps the victim share her “autobiographical story” which when combined with many other autoethnographic accounts can assume wider cultural, political and social connotations and  meanings. As a qualitative research methodology, autoethnographic narratives are used by health professionals to analyse the health of their patient and devise solutions for the individual, and often a large number of people in terms of evidence of new trends and phenomena in society.