Between the Two: A Nomadic Inquiry into Collaborative Writing and Subjectivity

In this unique work, Ken Gale and Jonathan Wyatt bring together three areas of scholarship: collaborative writing as method of inquiry, the philosophical approaches of the French philosopher, Gilles Deleuze, and the performativity of both writing and the "self". The book is a reflexive exploration into the theory and practice of collaborative writing, with their between-the-twos—sequences of exchanged writings using a variety of forms and genres—at the book's heart. Their collaboration offers an experimental, transgressive and nomadic inquiry into subjectivity. Based upon the authors' joint doctoral dissertation, the book draws for its theoretical base primarily from the work of Deleuze, from both his philosophical "figures" and the insights that he offers into his collaborations with others. It also tells a story, conveying a sense of a relationship developing over time.This book will interest both academics and postgraduate students in the field of qualitative inquiry, including those involved in narrative inquiry, cultural, communication and performance studies, and autoethnography.

About the Author :
Ken Gale is Lecturer in Education at the University of Plymouth in the UK. He has published on creativity, educational management, online learning and triadic assessment. Jonathan Wyatt is Head of Professional Development at the University of Oxford, and also works as a counsellor of adults within the UK's National Health Service. He has written about loss and on counselling. Together, they have published a number of papers on collaborative writing as a method of inquiry, including, most recently: Gale, K and Wyatt, J (2008) Two men talking: A nomadic inquiry into collaborative writing. International Review of Qualitative Research 1, 3: 361-379; and Gale, K and Wyatt, J (2008) Becoming men, becoming-men? A collective biography. International Review of Qualitative Research. 1, 2: 235-254.

Review :
"Sometimes I read a book and wish I'd written it. Ken and Jonathan's book is one of them It is highly original, thought provoking, and emotionally compelling. The authors show us through 'writing spaces' of interactive writing how Deleuzian ideas can be applied to discover (uncover) intimacy and 'becoming'. I found myself glued to the pages by the authors' ingenuity, openness, and intelligence. It is not only erudite, it is a really good read."—Professor Laurel Richardson, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, The Ohio State University, USA"In Between the Two, Ken Gale and Jonathan Wyatt provide us with multiple spaces and traces of what can be, and might be, for embodied academics seeking to engage with experimental and transgressive modes of representation as a way to explore lived experience in all its messy complexity. Beautifully crafted and laced with an emotionally sensitive scholarship, their work is both provocative and evocative, inviting us to weave our own stories into those they offer for consideration. It is an invitation well worth accepting."—Professor Andrew C. Sparkes PhD, Director: Qualitative Research Unit, School of Sport & Health Sciences, Exeter University"This is a powerful, richly nuanced, evocative work; a stunning and brilliantly innovative pedagogical and theoretical intervention. This new book provides ground zero—the starting place for the next generation of theorists who want to write their way through and across the theoretical, methodological and interpretive implications that result when voice, identity, presence and writing are made problematic. A stunning accomplishment. Their model of collaborative writing and performance autoethnography charts new territories of inquiry. They show the rest of us how to move from the personal to the political, and back again. We are all in their debt."—Norman K. Denzin, Distinguished Professor of Communications, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA