Narrating the Many Autisms

by Anna Stenning

Autism is a profoundly contested idea. The focus of this book is not what autism is or what autism people are, but rather, it grapples with the central what does it take for autistic people to participate in a shared world as equals with other people? Drawing from her close reading of a range of texts, by autistic authors, filmmakers, bloggers, and academics, Anna Stenning highlights the creativity and imagination in these accounts and also considers the possibilities that emerge when the unexpected and novel aspects of experience are attended to and afforded their due space. Approaching these narrative accounts in the context of both the Anthropocene and neoliberalism Stenning unpacks and reframes understandings about autism and identity, agency and mattering, across sections exploring autistic intelligibility, autistic sensibility, and community-oriented collaboration and care. By moving away from the non-autistic stories about autism that have, over time, dominated public conception of the autistic experience and relationships, as well as the cognitive and psychoanalytic paradigms that have reduced autism and autistic people to a homogeneous group, the book instead reveals the multiplicity of autistic subjectivities and their subsequent understandings of oppression. It calls on readers to listen to what autistic people have to say about the possibilities of resistance and solidarity against intersecting currents and eddies of power, which endanger all who challenge the neoliberal conception of Life. A stirring and meaningful departure from atomized accounts of neurological difference, Narrating the Many Autisms ponders big questions about its topic and finds clarity and meaning in the sense-making practices of autistic individuals and groups. It will appeal to scholarly readers across the fields of disability studies, cultural studies, critical psychology, sociology, anthropology, and literature. The Open Access version of this book, available at , has been made available under a Creative Commons [Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND)] 4.0 license.

Genres: Autistic Spectrum Disorder

250 pages, Hardcover

Published January 8, 2024

Reviews

[Meghan Duff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I deeply appreciate this book because the subject matter and the care with which it was written. I like listening to the author bring together different narratives (perspectives on autism, often from autistic people -- books, blog post, other media) of autism and think about the differences over time and in different corner. If you think about discourses (not The Discourse) shifting as a currently cross connecting conversations and this a trip thinking through that. I'm assuming whoever is looking for this book is interested autism in a wider sense, maybe neurodiversity (the moment) informed, not fearing self recognition, etc.

If you're not used to books written for academic audiences, this may be a denser read than you expect. If the subject interests you, go for it. You can get an open access online copy through the publisher. So don't let the hardback price put you off if the subject matter is of interest. [Though I covet a hardback so I can write notes in it. 😺]

[Claire Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been out of academia for a while it took a while to get back into that style of writing but it was worth the effort.

It moves the conversation surrounding autistic identity forward. Some great insights. An important part of the wider conversation.