Situated Writing as Theory and Method

Mona Livholts, PhD, is Professor of Social Work in the Department of Social Sciences, Helsinki University, Finland; founder and leader of The Network for Reflexive Academic Writing Methodologies (RAW) 2008–2017. Her research focuses on emergent writing methodologies in a context of method transformation saturated by gender-, inter- and transdisciplinarity, creative and art-based methods, in particular auto/biographical and narrative life writing genres such as diaries and letters, memory work, poetry, and photography. Research themes include media narratives on rape, gender, space, and communication, and glocalised social work. She has published books in Swedish and English including: Genus och det akademiska skrivandets former [Gender and Forms of Academic Writing] (Eds with Bränström Öhman 2007), Emergent Writing Methodologies in Feminist Studies (2012), Discourse and Narrative Methods: Theoretical Departures, Analytical Strategies and Situated Writing (with Tamboukou 2015), and Social Work in a Glocalised World (with Bryant 2017).

"Livholts’s academic work has been about changing social work from within through creative writing. It is her way of seeking answers to things like which questions should be posed, what can be known and by whom, and what counts as knowledge."Christa M Mäkinen, Communication specialist, University of Helsinki"This is an excellent book that, apart from the pleasure of the text, also offers a great variety of ideas for graduate reflexive methodological and writing workshops. Livholts has used materials from this book in her teaching and in the last section of Part II, she has compiled a very useful list of open questions and concerns in guiding ‘situated writing’."Tamboukou, M. 2020. 'Situated Writing as Theory and Method: The Untimely Academic Novella: a book review from the journal’s editor'. Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work. SAGE Journals

• Part I: Situated Writing as Theory and Method; 1. The Whys and Hows of Situated Writing as Theory and Method; 2. Narrative Life Writing Within and Across Mutable Genres; Part II: A Trilogy of Untimely Academic Novellas; 3. 'The Professor’s Chair'; 4. 'The Snow Angel and Other Imprints'; 5. 'Writing Water'; 6. Open Questions and Concerns to Guide Your Own Situated Writing