Abstract
Different methodological approaches allow varying access to the objects of inquiry and
enable one to ask different kinds of questions. This paper explores the possibilities that
emerge through the combination of multimodal social semiotics and autoethnography. We
discuss the epistemological and methodological bases for each approach and show the
potentials in combining them. Drawing on an autoethnographic study in civil engineering, we
argue that three aspects of research inquiry are enhanced through the combination of these
approaches. These three aspects include a greater understanding of social context and its
impact on meaning-making; an awareness of the multimodal nature of meaning-making; and
an understanding of the ways in which the ‘interest’ of the researcher (as participant)
manifests in texts. Overall, we argue that these approaches augment each other in generative
ways, and allow for an in-depth look at how texts are embedded in particular practices and
communities.