The politics of reading the autobiographical <i>I</i>’s: The ‘truth’ about Outi

Abstract

This article takes the genre of autobiography and a case of one womanââ¬â¢s autobiographical texts as its starting point in examining the possibilities of combining theoretical feminist discussions with empirical analysis, or, the personal with the political. The article focuses on the autobiographical fragments of an ââ¬Åamateur autobiographerââ¬Â Outi, an actor and a feminist, and studies the ways Outi reworks her identity over years. The analysis shows that the quest for the ââ¬Ëtruthââ¬â¢ about oneself is futile, and the ââ¬Ëreal meââ¬â¢ is only a cherished illusion. However, the lack of stable identity categories opens up a space for feminist politics. Distinguishing the various levels of autobiographical I is used as a method in order to present a subtle reading of autobiographies that would emphasize the many layers of the autobiographical subject and the constant process of becoming. The relations between the ââ¬Ërealââ¬â¢ I, the narrating and the narrated I, as well as the ideological I in Outiââ¬â¢s autobiographical writings are identified and analyzed in order to demonstrate how the separation of the I's can help in combining the discussions about the subject in feminist theory and the concrete empirical analysis of gendered lived experiences. Additionally, distinguishing the Iââ¬â¢s is a tool for feminist politics, and a tool for ethical reading of the autobiographies of unknown women.