Autism in the academy: construct, consume, commodify

Provoked by the proliferation of 'autism' in the academy, this paper asks whether theories of consumption can help explore how certain knowledges become significant at certain times. In not wanting to deny the experiences of people with the label of autism and the discrimination, exclusion and disadvantage they often face, the paper is not interested in arguing about whether or not 'autism' exists. Instead, it seeks to explore autism's role as a category in academia. It begins by contending that, far from being neutral entities, knowldges are constructed and consumed through their socio-cultural contexts and should be examined as such. It goes on to take social-science knowledge in/on autism in the UK as its specific focus and examines its acquisition and dissemination. In exploring how 'autism' is implicated in processes of teaching, research, publishing, etc the paper will address how 'autism' is constructed, consumed and commodified. Here ideas from social theories of consumption (especially Marx's notion of commodity fetishism) will be mobilised to investigate how 'autism' is packaged for academic consumption. The paper will conclude by briefly discussing the implications of this for Disability Studies and the global disability community.(Presented at Society for Disability Studies Conference, 2nd-5th June, Philadelphia, New Jersey, USA.)