Palimpsestual Inquiry: Finding Meanings in the Layers of Narratives

The idea of palimpsests, or erasing and scratching away old narration to make way for new narratives from different voices, presents an intriguing metaphor in this analysis. Here, the author explores layered meanings between the observation field notes done on a study abroad trip in Tanzanian primary and secondary schools. The field notes were written from two perspectives, 1) pre-service teachers (or undergraduate students in teacher education programs) about their experience in the schools and being mentored by Tanzanian teachers, and 2) the study abroad instructor observing the mentoring relationship in progress. Representation, placement of the narratives, differing approaches to creating palimpsests and how to take into account the culturally and socially situated knowledges inherent to each individual’s perspective are explored. Implications for using palimpsests and layering texts as approaches to analyzing narratives are also discussed.