Description
Book SynopsisDrawing on more than three years of ethnographic fieldwork and interviews with participants, Catherine Tan investigates two autism-focused movements, shedding new light on how members contest expert authority.
Trade ReviewAt the margins of the autism world, there are niches where vaccines are rejected, miracle cures are peddled, or, on the contrary, all therapies are rejected as forms of coercive normalization.
Spaces on the Spectrum analyzes the moral experiences, rhetorical strategies, and advocacy practices of two groups that occupy opposite niches: parents who experiment with alternative therapies and autistic self-advocates. Catherine Tan went down the rabbit hole and came out bearing fascinating stories and insights. Written with generosity and poise, meticulously researched, this is a reflective and insightful analysis of how controversies over knowledge, expertise, and identity are intertwined. -- Gil Eyal, coauthor of
The Autism MatrixWith engaging data, compelling stories, and compassionate insight, Tan brings us into the competing and complementary worlds of autism advocacy.
Spaces on the Spectrum provides an important exploration of how two different worldviews of autism have led parents of autistic children and autistic adults to dramatically different beliefs about what causes the condition, what it means, and what, if anything, should be done. This is an important contribution that shows how knowledge production is contentious, how meanings of expertise can be multifaceted and contradictory, and how calls for sympathy and respect can place well-intentioned people who care deeply about the same issue at odds. -- Jennifer A. Reich, author of
Calling the Shots: Why Parents Reject VaccinesIn this phenomenal study, Catherine Tan explores two autism social movements hoping for a better world: parents of children diagnosed with autism embracing alternative treatments and adults living with autism advocating for acceptance and accommodation of neurodivergence. What the believers and participants find instead is support, community, and validation that they have been right after all. With grace and sensitivity, Tan deftly weaves their convictions, struggles, and joys into a nuanced analysis that demonstrates the best medical sociology has to offer. Also, a magic buffalo appears. -- Stefan Timmermans, coauthor of
The Unclaimed: Abandonment and Hope in the City of AngelsTable of ContentsPreface and Position
Acknowledgments
1. Warriors and Aliens: Challenging Autism Experts
2. Reimagining Autism: As a Difference to Accept, as a Sickness to Treat
3. Seeking Hope and Support: Pathways to Autism Movements
4. Knowing One’s Tribe: The Transformation of Autistic Rights Into Reality
5. Laboratories and Experimentation: The Tools and Strategies of “Recovery”
6. The Outsiders: Resisting Criticism and Claiming Legitimacy
7. Making Space for the Spectrum
Appendix A. Interview Protocols
Appendix B. Participants
Notes
Bibliography
Index
