Abstract
Through combining a critical performative (auto)ethnography with performative writing, I explore the world of two teenage cancer patients as they share their stories online. I allow my own experiences as a former teenage cancer survivor to inform and shape my analysis, intertwining fragments of my own cancer journey with theirs. In doing so, I seek to create a sense of co-presence, a shared story of “we,” not just “me.” The narrative elements and self-presentation of each patient reveal their struggles in coping with sociocultural forces. This leads to a methodological intervention, mapping a performative framework in which the patients either embody liminality’s redress through reintegration into normative society or embody schism by embracing a nonnormal body.
Recommended Citation
McElearney, Patrick
(2024)
"Navigating the Chaos of Liminality: A Narrative and Performative Exploration of Teenagers Telling Cancer Stories,"
Storytelling, Self, Society: Vol. 18:
Iss.
2, Article 3.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/storytelling/vol18/iss2/3