Abstract

Autobiography is a literary genre that goes back to the 18th century and has developed a rich history with diverse genealogies. Situating autobiography in its wider context, the focus of the entry is on how we read and consequently analyse and rewrite autobiographies in social sciences research. The entry unfolds in three sections: (1) epistemological problematics that autobiographies raise, (2) an overview of methodological approaches to the uses of autobiography, and (3) contemporary themes that have emerged in the visual turn and the digital era of autobiographical research in the social sciences.