Transnational identity exploration and collaborative autoethnography for individual and community transformation

MyFest June 24, 2025

By

Mariah Fairley mariah@aucegypt.edu

Heba Fathelbab heba.f@aucegypt.edu

Agenda

Stage 1: Gaining insights into our transnational identities (~80 minutes)

Stage 2: Making plans (~40 minutes)

• What is transnational identity and why explore it? (10 min)
• Transnational identity exploration activities:
• Mapping your transnational identities (20 min)
• Storytelling about critical incidents involving transnationality (25 min)
• Artistic expression of what brings you joy (25 min)

• What is collaborative autoethnography and how will we do it? (5 min)
• Collaborative autoethnography activity: From insight to action plan (25 min)
• Share takeaways (5 min)
• Follow-up activity: 5 minute poster:

Positive words of affirmation

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What is identity?

• What does identity mean to you?
• Type your ideas into the chat

​

imagined

historical

negotiated

ongoing

performed

contradictory

shifting

complex

changing

claimed

ascribed

Identity

“do” not “have”

socially constructed

site of growth

contested

contextualized

dynamic

lifelong

process of becoming

Identity work could be more important than knowledge of our field (Kanno & Stuart, 2011)

not fixed

fluid

multiple

emotional

Why explore identity?

• Teaching & learning are NOT politically neutral endeavors
• Unequal power dynamics – roles & identity categories
• Exploring identities and tensions arising in our work and lives can:
• Promote self-reflection
• Encourage questioning of normative assumptions
• Foster negotiation of new identities
• Lead to transformation for social justice and inclusivity
• Encourage agency

(Fairley, 2024; Morgan, 2009; Varghese et al., 2016)

What is transnationality?

• What does transnationality mean to you?
• Type your ideas into the chat

​

What is transnationality?

Crossing/blurring of national borders: physical and virtual – of people, ideas/knowledge, languages, ways of knowing, being, doing

• Element of identity (like race, gender, class, ability, etc.)
• NOT binary category: We are all transnational – to varying degrees:

“As pluri-cultural and pluri-lingual individuals with multiple memberships— linguistic, cultural, national, professional—teachers embody the idea of the transnational” (Gallardo, 2018, p. 18).

• Transnationality as: form of diversity, resource & disposition that can be cultivated (Gu & Canagarajah, 2018; Solano-Campos, 2014)
• Need for expansive view & explicit focus in educational settings (Fairley, 2024)

Why explore transnationality: Research findings

• Encourages self-reflection, deeper understanding of ourselves, exploration of cultural difference and change
• Heightens awareness of power inequities, promoting action for change
• Fosters embrace of humanizing/holistic approaches to education, closer connection with students (especially of marginalized/minorities), exploration of diverse teaching approaches, bridging of divides
• Provides opportunities for creating/carving out “in-between spaces” for re-imaging/constructing new/hybrid identities that challenge binary thinking
• Encourage agency

(Fairley, 2024; Gu & Canagarajah, 2018; Menard-Warwick, 2008; Rudolph et al., 2019; Solano-Campos, 2014; Yazan et al., 2023; Fairley, Young, ElShimi, Fathelbab, forthcoming)

Transnational identity exploration activities

1. Mapping your transnational identities
2. Storytelling about critical incidents involving transnationality
3. Artistic expression of what brings you joy

Throughout, keep our purpose in mind:

To prepare for collaborative autoethnography to answer our Research Question:

How can we use our transnational identities and joy to promote transformation in education/communities?

Activity 1: Connecting to transnationality through mind mapping

In what ways are you transnational? Think about and mind map (5 min):

• Travel/living experiences
• Languages you know
• Relationships/interpersonal interactions (e.g., family, friends, colleagues, students)
• Other types of exposure to diverse nations/cultures

In breakout rooms (10 min):

• Introduce yourselves, share 1-2 key points on your map
• Discuss some ways these transnational experiences have shaped you or led to questions/tensions

Optional sharing of a few insights gained through this activity

Mind map examples

Critical incidents: What & why?

What are critical incidents?

• Critical incidents are unexpected moments (in our case in teaching or learning or personal life in general) that prompt critical reflection.
• They become “critical” because they reveal tensions—often around identity, culture, power, or pedagogy—and invite deeper analysis of beliefs and practices.

Why explore them?

• Uncover (hidden) beliefs
• Examine power dynamics
• Construct our identities to act more intentionally for transformation

(Akbari, 2020; Kayi-Aydar & Miller, 2021)

Activity 2: Exploring critical incidents with transnationality

• Look back at your mind map and think about critical incidents/experiences you have had with transnationality.
• Select ONE and free write (5 min):
• Describe the incident/experience: What happened? Who was involved? How did you feel? How did you respond (or not)? What happened afterwards?
• Analyze: Why did it happen that way? Why did you feel that way? What made it a critical incident for you? Why did/didn’t you take action?
• Reflect: What insights have you gained into transnationality?

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• In breakout rooms (10 min):
• share/discuss how you can draw on insights gained to take action for transformation in your life and/or educational/community settings

​

Artistic expression of what brings you joy: Why explore what brings you joy?

Healing and affirmation of identity

Joy and well-being are crucial for sustainable activism and community change. Reflection on joy becomes a healing practice that affirms identity and nurtures commitment (Ginwright, 2016).

Empowerment for transformation

Love and joy are not distractions from justice work, but integral to it. We can frame joy as part of an ethic of care that can empower resistance and transformation (hooks, 2000).

Culturally sustaining practice

Reflecting on joy can help educators recognize what sustains themselves and their students, making identity a vehicle for empowerment rather than assimilation (Paris & Alim, 2017).

Activity 3: Artistic expression of what brings you joy

• Make a color-coded list (5 min):
• Write a list of things/people that make you feel happier or supported
• Assign a color to each of the things on your list

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• Get out a piece of paper and draw a mini-outline of your body (10 min):
• Start with a circle in the middle representing yourself
• Fill in the rest of the outline with different colors depending on where each item on your list resonates for you
• Try to focus as you do this on how each person/thing has contributed to your life

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• In breakout rooms (10 min):
• Share one or two items from your art and discuss how joy connects with social justice and/or transformation

Example of artistic expression of what brings joy

Collaborative autoethnography: What and why?

Autoethnography (AE):

• Research approach to understand self in relation to society, for transformation
• Fosters deep individual introspection
• Seeks to rewrite dominant narratives of what research can be, who researchers can be, and how research can be done
• Encourages plurality in ways of knowing, inviting hidden stories to be voiced, systemic injustices to be dismantled

(Bishop, 2021; Ellis et al, 2011)

Collaborative autoethnography (CAE):

• Combines AE with critical collaborative dialogue
• Identity construction is both individual and social so makes sense to study it individually and collaboratively
• Can lead to deeper insights and build solidarity and agency to act for transformation

(Lawrence & Nagashima, 2020; Tezgiden‐Cakcak & Ataş, 2024; Yazan et al., 2023)

Collaborative autoethnography: How?

Guided by principles:

• Critical self-reflexivity
• Sharing open vulnerability
• Meaningful transformation of self and society

Steps for our CAE:

1. Start with meaningful research question: How can we use our transnational identities and joy to promote transformation in education/communities?
2. Generate ‘data sources’ and discuss: identity exploration activities related to RQ
3. Analyze data sources: Review identity work and make notes on what strikes you related to RQ (Saldaña, 2015): 5 min
4. Identify meaningful insight(s) related to RQ and free write or make notes on the insight(s): 5 min
5. In breakout rooms: 10 min

Share and discuss to gain further insights and articulate action plans

Follow up: 5 minute poster: Positive words of affirmation

What are positive words of affirmation?

Positive words of affirmation are kind, encouraging statements that express love, support, and appreciation, helping to build confidence and emotional well-being.

Steps:

• Based on your ideas for action plans, create a poster with positive words of affirmation
• Hang poster on your wall to remind you

Contact us

Mariah Fairley

mariah@aucegypt.edu

Heba Fathelbab

heba.f@aucegypt.edu

Any Questions?

References

Akbari, R. (2020). Critical reflective teaching: Creating opportunities for transformative learning. Reflective Practice, 21(3), 356–368.

Bishop, M. (2021). ‘Don’t tell me what to do’: Encountering colonialism in the academy and pushing back with Indigenous autoethnography. International journal of qualitative studies in education, 34(5), 367-378.

Ellis, C., Adams, T. E., & Bochner, A. P. (2011). Autoethnography: An overview. Historical Social Research/Historische Sozialforschung, 273–290.

Fairley, M. J. (2024). Exploring transnationality as a resource for promoting social justice in language teacher identity construction: Insights from an inquiry group. Teaching and Teacher Education, 137, 104398.

Fairley, M. J., Young, A., Elshimi, E., Fathelbab, H. (forthcoming). Transnational identity as resource for collective agency: A collaborative autoethnography. In H. Uysal & A. Gao (Eds.) Language teacher agency: Trans-perspective approaches and actionable strategies. Springer.

Gallardo, M. (2019). Transcultural voices: Exploring notions of identity in transnational language teachers’ personal narratives. In Negotiating Identity in Modern Foreign Language Teaching (pp. 17–43). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-27709-3_2

Ginwright, S. (2016). Hope and Healing in Urban Education: How Urban Activists and Teachers are Reclaiming Matters of the Heart.

Gu, M. M., & Canagarajah, S. (2018). Harnessing the professional value of a transnational disposition: Perceptions of migrant English language teachers in Hong Kong. Applied Linguistics, 39(5), 718–740. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amw048

Hooks, b. (2000). All About Love: New Visions.

Kanno, Y., & Stuart, C. (2011). Learning to become a second language teacher: Identities‐in‐practice. The Modern language journal, 95(2), 236-252.

Kayi-Aydar, H., & Miller, E. R. (2021). Positioning and critical incidents in language teacher identity research. TESOL Quarterly, 55(3), 901–912.

Lawrence, L., & Nagashima, Y. (2020). The intersectionality of gender, sexuality, race, and Native-speakerness: Investigating ELT teacher identity through duoethnography. Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 19(1), 42–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348458.2019.1672173

Menard‐Warwick, J. (2008). The cultural and intercultural identities of transnational English teachers: Two case studies from the Americas. TESOL Quarterly, 42(4), 617–640. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1545-7249.2008.tb00151.x

Morgan, B. (2009). Fostering transformative practitioners for critical EAP: Possibilities and challenges. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 8(2), 86–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2008.09.001

Paris, D., & Alim, H. S. (2017). Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies: Teaching and Learning for Justice in a Changing World.

Rudolph, N., Yazan, B., & Rudolph, J. (2019). Negotiating ‘ares,’‘cans,’and ‘shoulds’ of being and becoming in English language teaching: Two teacher accounts from one Japanese university. Asian Englishes, 21(1), 22–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/13488678.2018.1471639

Saldaña, J. (2015). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. Sage.

Solano-Campos, A. (2014). The making of an international educator: Transnationalism and nonnativeness in English teaching and learning. TESOL Journal, 5(3), 412–443. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.156

Tezgiden‐Cakcak, Y., & Ataş, U. (2024). Becoming and being a critical language teacher educator: A duoethnography. TESOL Journal, 15(4), e855. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.855

Varghese, M., Motha, S., Park, G., Reeves, J., & Trent, J. (2016). Language teacher identity in (multi) lingual educational contexts [Special Issue]. TESOL Quarterly, 50(3), 541–783. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/tesq.333

Wheeldon, J., & Ahlberg, M. (2019). Mind maps in qualitative research. In Handbook of research methods in health social sciences (pp. 1113–1129). Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Yazan, B., Penton Herrera, L. J., & Rashed, D. (2023). Transnational TESOL practitioners’ identity tensions: A collaborative autoethnography. TESOL Quarterly, 57(1), 140–167.