Feminist collaborative autoethnography (FCAE): a framework of care, reflexivity and resistance in marketing and consumer research

Purpose The purpose of this study is to respond to a growing interest in collaborative autoethnography in marketing and consumer research. We seek to extend the method’s theoretical grounding and methodological principles to incorporate a feminist ethics of care and “better” introspection. Design/methodology/approach Acknowledging the white, Western masculine lineage of autoethnography in marketing and consumer research, as well as an increasingly competitive and restrictive neoliberal academy, our framework takes up a spirit of resistance. We propose a version of subjective personal introspection built on a feminist ethics of care and a de-centring of Western thought. Our framework incorporates thick reflexivity, kinship and seeking accountability towards not only others but also ourselves as researchers. Findings To demonstrate the utility of this framework, we use a series of critical illustrative experiences from a collaborative autoethnography conducted between 2020 and 2023. Our data reveal a form of emotional labour aimed at seeking accountability, embracing discomfort and vulnerability and challenging hegemony. We explain how these themes emerge within the research team – and at the community and institutional levels – across the life cycle of a research project. Originality/value This research departs from previous autoethnographic work in marketing and consumer research by embracing the political nature of the research process. In striving for inclusion through principles and praxes to steer the neoliberal academy away from metrics and staged competition towards responsible research, we contribute to scholarship that envisions a better world.