Dead, Shed Skin: An Autoethnography

Abstract

This paper describes the self-study of the researcher's eating disorder. The subject of study is, microcosmically, poetry; in a macrocosmic sense, the fragments of verse examined are representative of an individual writer's mindset and thoughts. Poetry, in this essay, is the pedagogical space where examination of self is permitted. There are two intertwined elements in this essay that are educationally relevant and enlightening. Firstly, it is demonstrated that the structural and formal traditions of verse were scaffolds to the developing poet's self-understanding and self-discovery. Secondly, hinged upon a reinterpretation of verse composed ten years prior is the researcher's composition of a personally educative narrative involving his campaign to overcome the hegemony of an eating disorder.
About The Author

Theodore Christou is Assistant Professor at the University of New Brunswick in the Faculty of Education. He completed his PhD at Queen's University in Curriculum Studies. Theodore's research examines the qualitatively different interpretations of progressive education. He is also concerned with the teaching of history in schools and in Faculties of Education. Theodore is a published poet and has worked as teacher in Ontario's public schools and in adult education. Theodore can be contacted at: tedchristou@hotmail.com