autotheory

Autotheory is a hybrid literary and critical form that blends autobiographical narrative with theoretical or philosophical argument. Proponents present personal experience as a source of knowledge and a lens for examining social structures, arguing that lived embodiment can illuminate concepts such as gender, race, sexuality, and power.

Origins and context: The term has been used in contemporary feminist, queer, and critical race studies to describe a mode of writing that sits at the intersection of memoir and theory. It grew from practices that treat the self not as mere subject of analysis but as a site where theory is made, tested, and revised.

Form and technique: Autotheory often interleaves scenes from the author’s life with essays, footnotes, or methodological reflections. The writing can combine lyrical prose with analytic argument, and may foreground voice, memory, and affect. It seeks to show how concepts emerge through attention to embodiment, care, and relationality.

Criticism and discussion: Critics question the evidentiary status and potential for solipsism, though supporters argue that personal narrative can reveal tacit assumptions and power dynamics that traditional theory overlooks. Debates address questions of representation, accessibility, and the balance between disclosure and critical distance.

Impact and scope: Autotheory has influenced contemporary essayistic and experimental writing, pedagogy, and cultural criticism, encouraging writers to foreground lived experience as a legitimate basis for theory. Related concepts include memoir, critical theory, intersectionality, and narrative ethics.