Duoethnographic riffing on rhizomes, attribution, and voice: a play in multiple acts

In this duoethnographic theatrical play, we fuse theory, personal narrative, performance, and popculture into a rhizomatic exploration of authorship, appropriation, and collaboration. Rooted inSawyer and Norris’s (2013) dialogical approach, our script draws from Deleuze and Guattari’srhizomes, Bakhtin’s carnival grotesque, and Eminem’s rap lyrics to generate a multiplicity ofvoices—each treated as both collaborator and subject. The result is a collision of high theory andpopular references that upends academic norms, calling attention to fluid ownership, citationpractices, and the generative possibilities of mashup culture (Johnson-Eilola & Selber, 2007). Byforegrounding heteroglossia, we resist linear arguments and instead situate meaning “in themiddle,” revealing how dialogic interplay and collective improvisation shape knowledge. Thecarnival atmosphere, marked by comic subversions and open-ended acts, challenges rigidboundaries between personal memory, scholarly theory, and cultural artifacts. Rather thanconcluding with definitive statements, the performance encourages ongoing mashups andreinterpretations, affirming duoethnography’s commitment to reflexive, relational practice andcelebrating the dynamic interplay that keeps research alive and evolving.