Worlds of Autism: Across the Spectrum of Neurological Difference

by Joyce Davidson (Editor), Michael Orsini (Editor)

Overview

Bringing together innovative work on autism by international scholars in the social sciences and humanities, Worlds of Autism boldly challenges the deficit narrative prevalent in both popular and scientific accounts of autism spectrum disorders. A major contribution to this emerging, interdisciplinary field, it situates autism within an abilities framework that respects the complex personhood of individuals with autism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452940243
Publisher:	University of Minnesota Press
Publication date:	11/01/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	368
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Joyce Davidson is associate professor in the Department of Geography at Queen’s University, Canada. She is founding editor of Emotion, Space, and Society, and the author or coeditor of several books, including Emotion, Place, and Culture and Phobic Geographies.

Table of Contents

Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction. Critical Autism Studies: Notes on an Emerging Field
Michael Orsini and Joyce Davidson

Part I. Approaching Autism
1. Autism in an Age of Empathy: A Cautionary Critique
Patrick McDonagh
2. Autism and the Posthuman
Stuart Murray
3. Cerebralizing Autism within the Neurodiversity Movement
Francisco Ortega
4. Autism as a Form of Biological Citizenship
Charlotte Brownlow and Lindsay O’Dell

Part II. Researching the Politics and Practice of Care
5. Autism and Genetics: Profit, Risk, and Bare Life
Majia Holmer Nadesan
6. Caring for Autism: Toward a More Responsive State
Kristin Bumiller
7. Participatory Research with Autistic Communities: Shifting the System
Dora Raymaker and Christina Nicolaidis

Part III. Diagnosis and Difference in Autism
8. Capturing Diagnostic Journeys of Life on the Autism Spectrum
Sara Ryan
9. Divided or Opposed?: The Level of Functioning Arguments in Autism Related Political Discourse in Canada
Dana Lee Baker and Lila Walsh
10. Autism and Social Movements in France: A Comparative Perspective
Brigitte Chamak and Beatrice Bonniau

Part IV. Cultural Productions and Representations of Autism
11. Narrating Autism
Mark Osteen
12. The Shifting Horizons of Autism Online
Joyce Davidson and Michael Orsini
13. Autism and the Task of the Translator
Kristina Chew
14. “All the Things I Have Ever Been”: Autoethnographic Reflections on Academic Writing and Autism
Dawn Eddings Prince

Contributors
Index

Editorial Reviews

01/01/2014
As the number of autism diagnoses rise, the field of related research is exploding. With the topics of study as varied as the spectrum itself, it is impossible to keep abreast of every theory; an efficient way of staying informed is becoming a necessity. This volume collects, on a wide variety of topics—with a vast array of viewpoints—current papers by social science and humanities scholars alongside published work by similarly qualified autistic individuals. Covering issues such as biopolitics, genetics, pharmaceutical and other interventions and treatments, neurodiversity, and more, this broad text encourages further investigation and asks the reader to assess their own opinions of the subject. VERDICT Too much of what we know about autism is colored by politics and often diametrically opposed opinions. While this title is geared largely to academics and professionals in the field, it is worthy of attention from parents and educators who are willing to take the time to formulate their own viewpoints.

Library Journal