In Search of an Artistic Curriculum Identity
As people go through major shifts in their lives, they often refer to their experience in earlier time periods as "in a different life." This notion of disconnect between parts of one's lived experience is problematic in that it reduces imaginal sources of conception and meaning making. This chapter explores this topic by examining the use of duoethnography in a curriculum studies class. One duoethnography in the class was conducted by Lida Dekker and Melody Rasmor, titled, "Nursing an Artful Practice: Finding the Aesthetic Groundings of our Practice." In this study they examined earlier, artistic aspects of their identity, within the context of their current professional identities as nurse educators. This exploration led them to an awareness that their artistic sides, subordinated by current duties and responsibilities, were still present in their lives, contributing to their professional behavior. Stage two of the duoethnography presents a second study in which Richard Sawyer, Melody Rasmor, and Lida Dekker deconstruct the first study as text, examining it in relation to perceptions of classroom and life history curriculum. In this discussion they examine how this class based duoethnography reframed their perceptions of it as curriculum, illuminating a new process of cultural and personal imaginal reconceptualization.