The Cosmopolitan Traveler: Rendering Self and Coming Out Through A/R/Tographic Vlogging

Abstract

Learning about the self in relation to the world assists educators in making a positive impact in and out of the classroom. Learning to love the world, love the self, and love the relationship with the world is important and emphasizes a celebration of differences, in ourselves and those around us. The purpose of this a/r/tographic (artist/researcher/teacher) study, which is organized by Irwin’s conceptual renderings, is to develop a deeper understanding of how perspectives of the self may be altered by having experiences of solitude through extended solo travel and documented by video blogs. The study took place in Sydney and the North Coast of New South Wales, Australia over the course of four months, September 2017 to December 2017. Pinar’s theory of cosmopolitanism provides a theoretical lens through which to develop a deeper understanding of the self in relation to the world and the world in relation to the self. This study is guided by four research questions: How does extended solo travel and experience with solitude alter perspectives of the self as a global/cosmopolitan citizen? How does moving abroad shift my perspectives of my own sexuality? How does accepting the self alter my perspectives of my own religion/spirituality? How might learning about the self have an effect on my educational practice? Using a/r/tography as a means of perspective, collecting and analyzing data, this study seeks to gain a better understanding of the self as a cosmopolitan teacher/citizen. For this study, cosmopolitanism is understood to be an awareness that the world thrives in differences through multiple interconnected ways, among them: sexuality, spirituality, and sustainability. Using vlogs (video blogs) and THE COSMOPOLITAN TRAVELER ii weekly reflections as a means of collecting data, I was able to analyze the self and identify overarching themes between each role of the self as artist, researcher, and teacher. The findings are represented under six a/r/tographic renderings to help organize the data and reveal more about the self in relation to Pinar’s conception of a cosmopolitan educator. The analysis of the vlogs and reflections reveals that moving to Sydney, Australia prompted and sustained my research and enabled me to learn more about the self in relation to sexuality and spirituality. The data revealed overarching themes in past and current experiences including confidence, complexity, patience, and shame. Learning to love myself and be confident in who I am revealed progression in the cosmopolitan self. Removing and stepping outside the self and spending time in solitude reflecting on experiences helped me understand how to celebrate my own differences and idiosyncrasies, as well as those of people around me.