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We come from several generations that have believed, "If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it". What if thats just how humans might work. You drank water from the river every day. Take it. Boiled it. Drink it. And didn’t question it. One day, the river was dry. Thats when someone would invent a rain collector. But today, we’re stuck in routines, told to follow paths already written for us. We read from textbooks, memorize answers, and regurgitate them for tests. We aren’t given the chance to think differently, to invent. There’s no room for real creation unless something breaks.

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I’ve come to realize that my exploration of neurodivergence is really about understanding myself—how my brain works and what makes me unique. For a long time, I thought my interest was focused on understanding how other people’s minds function. But the more I dig into this, the more I see that my own brain has been the central mystery I’ve been trying to solve all along.

Looking back at the projects I’ve done at art school, I see a pattern: they all revolve around figuring out what fuels my mind. I’ve researched everything from drugs and family history to artificial intelligence, even trying to create different versions of myself as an artist, just to understand my creative process. More recently, I’ve dived into studying every culture that’s touched my life, trying to understand how that impacts me and other Third Culture Kids.

Through it all, I’ve discovered my true hyperfixation: figuring out who I am. It’s almost like I’m playing the role of a moral philosopher, asking questions like: What’s right? What should I be doing? Am I even doing this correctly? And sometimes, I just wish someone could tell me what to do, because decision fatigue is real.

I often feel like I’m stuck in the middle, somewhere between certainty and endless questioning. I feel deeply about certain things, but when someone presents a solid argument, I can end up questioning my own views again. It’s like my mind is wired to see multiple perspectives, which can be both a gift and a challenge.

I’ll admit that at times, I’ve felt lost in all this research, especially when trying to follow every piece of advice from my professors—some of whom don’t really listen to me. Now, I’m not even sure what I want to say anymore. But I do know that I don’t want to create an “us versus them” narrative, and I don’t want to be political about it—that’s just not who I am.

What I do want is to show the beauty of neurodivergence, the strengths that come with it. I’m diving deeper into the research because I want to be well-informed, but I’m not interested in framing neurotypicals as the ones controlling everything—we’ve heard that story enough.

Over the past year, many of my friends have been diagnosed with ADHD or autism, and I’ve seen how much it’s affected them. It’s like this strange sense of knowing something was different about you but not being able to pinpoint it. I get it. It’s like someone handing you a powerful tool—say, an electric saw—but no one told you to plug it in, so you’re cutting down trees by hand when it could have been done in minutes.

I’ve known from a young age that I was different. My family knew it too. I mean, how does the only girl in a family of four boys get into more trouble than any of them? I wasn’t diagnosed until later, thanks to growing up in a small country with limited resources. But because I had some awareness early on, I’ve developed ways to navigate it. I’ve come to realize that some of the things I once saw as hurdles are actually strengths when I know how to use them.

Sure, I’m probably not the kind of person who works on assignments bit by bit, steadily working my way toward a deadline. Instead, I’m likely to finish 20 minutes before it’s due, chugging coffee and barely scraping by. But if you need someone to plan an entire event in 20 minutes when everything has gone wrong, I’m your person.

No, I can’t sit through a two-hour seminar on woodworking history. But if you put me in a workshop with the materials, I’ll figure out how to make something in five minutes. That actually happened during my first year at Minerva—it was wild.

We’re so conditioned to think of neurodivergence as a curse, but I don’t see it that way anymore. Maybe it’s challenging, but so is being neurotypical—we just don’t talk about that as much because we live in a society built around neurotypical norms.

My goal is to show that hyperfixations, hypersensitivities, and everything else that comes with neurodivergence are not deficits but strengths. We just need to view them in a different light, and maybe then we’ll see the gifts they bring.

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Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada

1. Different Perspectives on Neurodiversity

1.1. Neurodiversity as a Social Movement-Reclaiming the Right to Be Different

While neurodiversity may sound like a term from a brain science textbook, effectively, it emerged from a social justice movement and social science research [ 1]. The term neurodiversity was coined by sociologist Judy Singer in the late 1990s [ 2] to offer a new perspective on human variation in perception and communication styles. Singer drew inspiration from social movements fighting for the rights and needs of social minorities and environmental science emphasizing the benefits of biodiversity for a thriving ecosystem. Singer suggested that neurological diversity is a healthy and natural characteristic of the human species and that neurological differences are part of natural human diversity and should not automatically be pathologized.

Since the 1990s, the neurodiversity movement has been directed at raising awareness and appreciation for the diversity in human cognition and breaking down structures of exclusion. However, within the neurodiversity movement, there is an ongoing debate about what self-advocacy means and the aspired social and political outcomes. Some argue that neurological differences should be normalized and accepted. This voice is expressed, for example, in the words of John: "As an adult with autism, I find the idea of natural variation to be more appealing than the alternative-the suggestion that I am innately bad or broken and in need of repair... Asserting that I am different-not defective-is a much healthier position to take. Realizing the idea is supported by science is even better" [ 3].

Others argue against normalization and seek acknowledgment of the disability or illness related to their neuronal atypicality. An example of this approach is expressed in the words of Sue: "As a person who lives with autism daily and will not live a normal life, I find people who are high functioning and saying society should not look for a cure offensive" [ 4].

These two opposite approaches correspond (respectively) with the social and (classic) medical models of disability. According to the medical model, disability is caused by a dysfunction of the individual and requires treatment or a cure. The social model distinguishes between disabilities and impairments, focusing on social barriers that limit the accessibility of certain individuals, ultimately leading to disability (it is not the individual who is disabled; it is the environment that is disabling) [ 5].

This ongoing debate is part of a broader shift in awareness of the value and rights related to 'difference' within human society. The trend of promoting inclusivity and diversity as core values has a complex and evolving history, with its roots stretching back several centuries. However, it gained significant momentum and formal recognition during the latter half of the 20th century, particularly with the rise of civil and human rights movements. These movements have addressed a wide range of issues, including racial and ethnic discrimination, gender inequality, workers' rights, LGBTQ+ rights, Indigenous rights, and political freedom. The increasing interconnectedness of the world through the internet and social media has also provided a platform for marginalized voices, facilitating the dissemination of information and awareness about social inequalities.

In response to globalization, changing demographics, and societal expectations, many corporations, educational institutions, and governmental bodies began implementing diversity and inclusion initiatives to promote equal opportunities and representation.

Such historical developments, alongside research progression, have led to a transition in the conceptualization of human diversity and a growing recognition and acceptance of neurodiversity. This entry takes a neuroscientific lens on neurodiversity, exploring neurodiversity between/within individuals, evidence of neurodiversity in the brain, evolutionary perspectives on neurodiversity, and neurodiversity in light of the medical and social models of disability.

1.2. A Neuroscientific Perspective on Neurodiversity

While neurodiversity rose as a qualitative social concept, a semantic analysis of the term suggests a quantitative, scientific meaning attached to it. The word neurodiversity is composed of the word Neuro, which means nervous system and the word diversity which means a variety (e.g., various kinds or trait expressions measured in a sample). To deepen our understanding of neurodiversity, it is worth asking what neurodiversity might mean neuroscientifically.

2. Neurodiversity between Individuals

Biological measurements typically show a normal distribution [ 6] where most data points cluster around the mean and fewer data points are located at the two extremes of the distribution. For example, the global average human female height is ~162 cm with ~6 cm per standard deviation. This means that most females are between 153 cm and 171 cm tall, and this range is considered statistically typical. Only 20% are shorter or higher than that range and considered statistically atypical. Notably, typical and atypical are neutral terms; they are not good or bad but simply imply a probability of expression.

Similarly, human brain characteristics and expressions vary across individuals. Brain characteristics can be an anatomical trait (e.g., structure or size of a brain region), a functional trait (e.g., the activity level of a brain system), or a combination of anatomy and function such as connectivity structure within and between brain systems. Since brain structure and function underly human perception and behavior, it is reasonable to think of the various expressions of human cognition and communication patterns as neurodiversity. While neurodiversity is often utilized to identify and label a deviation from the typical representation of neuronal and behavioral trait(s), it is important to recognize that it represents a statistical description of the population as a whole and effectively, neurodiversity exists across the entire population.

Neuronal phenotypes are better described as continuous than categorical (hence, Autism Spectrum Disorder), yet the neurodiversity framework distinguishes between two main types; neurotypical refers to an individual whose brain and cognitive development falls within the typical range. Neurodivergent refers to an individual whose brain and cognitive development falls outside (or 'diverges' from) the typical range (see Figure 1).

Taking a statistical, scientific lens on neurodiversity helps to reframe the conversation from normality (normal vs. not normal) to prevalence (typical vs. atypical) and facilitates a factual and nonjudgmental discussion. Recently, Nancy Doyle proposed the use of 'neurominorities' as a neutral and statistically accurate umbrella term for atypical neuronal and cognitive phenotypes [ 7]. A neurominority is a population that shares common elements of neurodivergence shown by a specific symptom cluster and is, therefore, subject to similar challenges and discrimination in facing the neurotypical society.

Doyle's taxonomy of neurominorities includes four major groups (see Figure 2) that share common features of neurodiversity and, specifically, the process leading to the condition (developmental or acquired) and the functional and health consequence of the condition (applied or clinical).

I.

Applied developmental neurominority (including learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia); neurodevelopmental conditions with genetic and environmental components leading to educational-applied consequences but not health implications.

II.

Clinical developmental neurominority (including Tourette, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and Attention Deficit and Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD)); neurodevelopmental conditions with genetic and environmental components that impact behavior and communication across contexts and are currently considered health issues.

While both groups refer to neurodevelopmental conditions, the first (applied) typically affects specific domains (e.g., educational settings), and the latter (clinical) has a broad and cross-domain impact.

In addition to developmental neurodiversity, Doyle differentiates between psychiatric and neurological acquired neurominorities, both are clinical and considered health issues.

III.

Psychiatric acquired minority refers to mental illness and psychiatric disorders.

IV.

Neurological acquired minority referees to neurodivergence due to neurological illness or injury.

3. Where Is Neurodiversity in the Brain? (Diversity of the "Neurotypical")

The human brain has evolved through a lengthy evolutionary scaffolding leading to specific neuronal constructs and organizations [ 8, 9]. This evolutionary protocol is the blueprint of all human brains, which are eventually more similar than different in their structural and functional organization [ 10, 11].

A closer look reveals that functional brain systems are not equal in the level of inter-subject variability (the difference in brain function between individuals). In fact, specific brain systems showing higher inter-subject variability are responsible for most of the natural variability between individual brains (neurodiversity) [ 11].

Interestingly, inter-subject variability is correlated to evolutionary cortical expansion. The highest variability was found in frontal, temporal, and parietal association cortex areas, phylogenetically late-developing regions which are essential to complex, human-specific cognitive functions like reasoning, attention control, and language [ 10, 11]. This finding suggests that neurodiversity reflects human individualization; brain systems that facilitate high-order survival functions (such as self-reflection, social processing, and complex decision-making) require environment-specific fine-tuning and, therefore, are more susceptible to experience-based learning.

4. Neurodiversity within Individuals

Although the clinical and research community strives for more neurophysiological measurements, the diagnostic process of clinical conditions related to neurodiversity (such as ASD, ADHD, and mental illness) is based on cognitive and behavioral much more than neurological measurements. For example, the diagnosis of ADHD is based on psychoeducational and cognitive scales and not on brain scans. The assessment tools often measure the person's perception and performance in relevant cognitive, emotional, and social domains.

Generally, neurominorities and neurotypicals show different profiles in the psycho-cognitive and executive functions assessments (e.g., IQ test including measurements of spatial, visual, verbal, memory skills, and more). While neurotypicals tend to show a consistent level of (high/low/average) performance across variables, neurodivergent individuals often demonstrate a 'spiky' profile, with high inter-variability in cognitive performance compared to the neurotypical majority [ 7, 12]. A group of individuals with a specific symptom cluster and often a specific spiky profile can be considered a Neurominority with shared neuronal and perceptual characteristics [ 7].

For example, people with dyslexia often score high on visual reasoning while scoring low on working memory and processing speed [ 13]. Moreover, people with dyslexia tend to perform better in global abstract and spatial reasoning than neurotypicals [ 14]. In addition, the research points to a higher heterogeneity across neurominorities and their subtests compared to the neurotypical population [ 12, 15].

The scientific lens on neurodiversity offers instrumental evidence to advance the social discussion about neurodiversity. In this sense, the high variability within the neurodivergent population suggests that the binary classification of neurotypical and neurodivergent is insufficient to understand and support neurominorities.

5. Social Normalizing of Neurodiversity (or the Neurotypical Threshold)

Given that humans are complex, with multiple traits underlined by neurological structures and mechanisms, neurodiversity is multidimensional, and the distinction between 'neurotypical' and 'neurodivergent' is not straightforward. For example, left-handedness is related to atypical brain lateralization that characterizes only 10-15% of the global population and therefore is a form of neurodiversity [ 16]. While left-handed people suffered discrimination in the past due to their atypicality, this has changed over the years. Today, left-handedness is no longer perceived as sinister and usually does not lead to social exclusion. Hand dominance has been normalized so much that left-handed people are not part of the neurodiversity movement. The case of left-handedness is an example of the link between neurodiversity and dynamic social norms. In many aspects, this normalization process is what the neurodiversity movement is seeking today.

6. Evolutional Perspective on Neurodiversity

Most neurodiversity-related conditions are developmental, with genetic and environmental (learning by experience) components affecting the trajectory and individual manifestation of neurodiversity [ 17]. Developmental and psychiatric neurodiversity (neurominority groups 1-3) have a high heritability rate and are usually not the result of new random mutations [ 17, 18]. The evolutionary preservation of these atypical phenotypes challenges the idea that they merely reflect an error in production and dysfunction.

Research evidence points to a genetic association between the evolution of human-specific cognition and human-specific brain disorders [ 19]. In other words, neurodiversity is a double-edged sword, with disadvantages (mainly to the individual) and advantages (to the individual and the human species). According to this evolutionary perspective, neurodiversity is a type of biological altruism; individually impairing genetic combinations can carry specific benefits for society. For example, ADHD genetics is associated with novelty-seeking and risk-taking behaviors that elevate individual vulnerability (higher than average risk to physical and social harm and mental illness). At the same time, these behavioral patterns promote resilience at the population level by enhancing diversity, flexibility, and evolvability. While costs are borne mainly by the individual, and benefits accrue to the entire group [ 20].

Neurodiversity often offers competitive advantages to the individual on top of the societal benefit [ 21]. For example, people with high-functioning ASD face multiple difficulties (e.g., in social communication, theory of mind, flexibility, and hyper-sensitivity) but also benefit from some cognitive strengths and advantages, for example, in memory and attention to detail and pattern detection [ 17].

A new theory highlights human collective cognition as a central force in the resilience and evolvability of the human species [ 22]. Collective cognition relies on human collaboration and human diversity. Through communication and cooperation, human society benefits from diverse and complimentary cognitive (e.g., learning and problem-solving) strategies that enhance its ability to adjust and thrive in multiple and dynamic environments [ 22].

7. Neurodiversity in Light of the Medical and the Social Models of Disability

The framework used to approach disability has changed significantly over the last half a century, as reflected by the World Health Organization (WHO) Disability Classification Manuals [ 23, 24, 25, 26]. The classic medical model approached disabilities as impairments and dysfunction of the person [ 23]. The later social model framed disability as the misalignment between the individual (ability and needs) and their environment (accessibility and accommodation capacity) [ 24]. The progression from the medical to the social model expresses a shift from an illness-based to a health-based approach to disability. Importantly, it reflects a change in basic assumptions from disability as a personal problem to disability as a social construct.

The neurodiversity discussion that started as a grassroots movement, driven by individuals' lived experiences, penetrated the scientific community and evoked the rethinking of human diversity. The autism researcher Baron-Cohen suggested updating medical terms to consider neurodiversity and a more precise differentiation between disorder and disability, often used interchangeably [ 17]. According to Baron-Cohen, a disorder is maladaptive functioning in organic and behavioral levels which persist across all environments and contexts. For example, severe anxiety or anorexia are disorders as they have organic and behavioral components and result in severe disturbance of function in any environment.

Disability is a disruption of behavioral ability due to internal or external barriers (or their combination) leading to a compromised performance in specific functions and specific environments. For example, dyslexia imposes barriers in specific learning domains and could become a learning disability.

The distinction between the categories is essential, especially in that often neurominorities are labelled with disorders (e.g., Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder). The difference between disorder and disability could be demonstrated using the example of dyslexia. Similar to disorders, dyslexia has an organic (neuronal) component associated with atypical neuronal processing related to the reading network. However, unlike disorders which apply across contexts, dyslexia often affects a specific (reading-related) domain and does not hamper other learning domains or overall intelligence [ 27]. Moreover, the extent to which dyslexia imposes a learning barrier greatly depends on the learning environment, resources and tools offered to the students [ 28, 29]. Given the appropriate accommodation, students with dyslexia can be successful learners, which goes against the concept of disorder and even questions the standard classification of a learning disability.

Medical terminology concerning neurodiversity is not merely semantic, as it calls for different actions by policymakers and systemic solutions. Baron-Cohen suggests that while a disorder requires a cure or treatment, disability requires societal adjustments and support. Finally, some cases of neurodiversity reflect an atypical but natural difference and mainly require social acceptance and inclusion.

8. Toward a New (Scientific and Humanistic) Approach to Neurodiversity

Over the last two decades, neurodiversity has become a topic of interest and has been explored through multiple lenses and disciplines, such as social science, neuroscience, evolutionary science, and medicine. The accumulating body of neurodiversity research and voices within the neurodiversity community challenge the classic medical view of cognitive variations as pathologies (disorders/disabilities) [ 7, 17].

The neurodiversity approach suggests a more dynamic and personalized process in classifying atypical phenotypes into clinical or non-clinical categories (e.g., disorder, disability, or difference). This classification is highly based on the interaction between the individual and their environment. For example, while low-functioning autism could be considered a disorder that calls for treatment, high-functioning autism could be considered a disability or merely a difference depending on the environment's capacity to include and integrate various human needs, styles, and talents.

The neurodiversity approach also highlights the subjectivity of atypicality; while some individuals experience it as a disadvantage, some embrace it as a core identity component. Therefore, the discussion and research on neurodiversity also raise an important question regarding who should diagnose or classify neurodiversity into medical and social categories [ 30]. Traditionally this was the sole authority of medical professionals. However, considering the social and subjective aspects of the neurodivergent experience, a more holistic approach that includes the perspectives of both medical professionals and patients and integrates objective scientific findings with the subjective human experience may lead to more beneficial classifications and health-promoting outcomes for neurominorities.

9. Conclusions

Neurodiversity describes the rich variation in human cognitive, sensory, and communication experiences and has emerged as a captivating subject of study across several social and life sciences academic disciplines. Each of these disciplines offers valuable insights into the multifaceted nature of neurodiversity, but it is through an interdisciplinary approach that we can fully comprehend this phenomenon. While considerable progress has been made in understanding neurodiversity, there is still much to be explored and discovered about the genetic and neurodevelopmental basis of neurodivergence, which undoubtedly contributes to understanding the biological roots and functional meanings of neurodiversity.

Educating professionals and the general public on neurodiversity is essential, especially given its high prevalence, with approximately 15 to 20 percent of the population exhibiting some form of neurodivergence. Unfortunately, despite its ubiquity, there remains a lack of widespread knowledge about neurodiversity, even among neurodivergent individuals, leading to misconceptions and stigmatization of neurominorities.

This entry introduces neuroscience insights on neurodiversity and integrates them with humanistic perspectives on neurodiversity. It emphasizes the importance of inclusivity and accommodation, not merely as group-level compromises to aid individuals with special needs but as a means to harness the strengths and potential inherent in neurodiversity for the benefit of the entire population. The humanistic approach highlights the shared humanity across the cognitive range, while the scientific approach links neurodiversity to group-level high performance, adaptability, and resilience. Together, these approaches support a strength-based view of neurodiversity as an enriching and nurturing component of human society.

As societies embark on this journey towards inclusivity, it becomes their inherent responsibility to enable diversity to manifest. It is not enough to passively acknowledge differences; rather, it requires active effort and commitment to dismantle barriers by incorporating universal and flexible designs that embrace and accommodate diverse human needs and ways of expression. By doing so, we invite diverse players to actively participate, contribute, and thrive within the fabric of society.

In conclusion, providing evidence-based knowledge about neurodiversity is pivotal in breaking down stigma, biases, and social barriers imposed on neurominorities. By acknowledging the ongoing research and adopting an interdisciplinary perspective, we can advance our understanding of neurodiversity and work towards creating more inclusive policies in the workplace, medical, and educational systems.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Informed Consent Statement

Data Availability Statement

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Figure 1. Neuronal and behavioral trait expressions are often normally distributed across the population. Neurotypical refers to the majority of the human population that exhibits common, typical neuronal phenotypes that fall close to the mean of the Gaussian. Neurodivergent refers to a minority of the population that express statistically less common (atypical) neuronal and cognitive phenotypes that fall at the tails of the Gaussian distribution. Neurodiversity exists across the entire population but is often attributed to neurodivergent populations that express socially evident atypical neurological phenotypes. In this figure, the variation in colors symbolizes the progressive elevation of neurodiversity expression from the neurotypical to the neurodivergent end. While both groups exhibit the purple color, it crosses a specific threshold to signify neurodivergence.

Figure 2. The classification of neurominorities (based on Doyle 2020) considers the major process leading to (developmental or acquired) and the functional and health implication (applied or clinical) of the neurodiversity.

Goldberg H. Unraveling Neurodiversity: Insights from Neuroscientific Perspectives. Encyclopedia. 2023; 3(3):972-980. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia3030070

Chicago/Turabian Style

Goldberg, Hagar. 2023. "Unraveling Neurodiversity: Insights from Neuroscientific Perspectives" Encyclopedia 3, no. 3: 972-980. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia3030070

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Neurodiversity is a concept and a social movement that addresses and normalizes human neurocognitive heterogeneity to promote acceptance and inclusion of neuro-minorities (e.g., learning disabilities, attention disorders, psychiatric disorders, and more) in contemporary society. Neurodiversity is attributed to nature and nurture factors, and about a fifth of the human population is considered neurodivergent.

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During the holidays, I was only able to briefly visit my brothers due to some family issues. I ended up spending more time with my girlfriend’s family in Germany. Interestingly, her family gave me some great insights that tie into my current work. One of them is a social worker, and the other has worked in the art field, so we had a lot of meaningful discussions about the themes I’m exploring right now.

Since the studios reopened, I’ve been there every day, working on different aspects of my sculpture. I’ll show you some pictures to give you a sense of what I’ve been doing.

I’ve decided to create a sculpture of a human figure using a combination of plaster and clay. What’s important about this piece is that I’m incorporating gaps or cracks in the sculpture, as if it's breaking apart in places. When you look closer, inside these gaps, you’ll see elements that represent what we typically consider "neurodivergent" traits. But the message I’m trying to convey is that these traits are not abnormal—they’re simply part of what it means to be human.

Inspired by The Myth of the Normal Brain, I want to challenge the idea that there is such a thing as a "normal" brain. The sculpture isn’t just about neurodivergence—it’s about the human condition as a whole. We all have different strengths and weaknesses, whether we’re labeled neurotypical or neurodivergent, and these differences are natural and valuable. I want to show that what we often see as cracks or flaws can actually be places where deeper truths about our humanity lie.

In addition to the sculpture, I’m also working on a video component. The video will be shown from the perspective of a neurodivergent mind, giving the viewer a sense of how it feels to experience the world differently. But rather than focusing on the challenges, I want to highlight the strengths and advantages that come with neurodivergence—things like creativity, unique problem-solving abilities, and sensitivity. It’s important to me that this work doesn’t portray neurotypicals or neurodivergents as fundamentally different, but rather shows that we all have a mix of advantages and disadvantages.

Overall, my goal is to dismantle the myth of the "normal" brain and celebrate the diversity of how people think and experience the world. Through both the sculpture and the video, I hope to create a piece that makes people reconsider what we consider "normal" and recognize the value in all types of minds.

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The article "The Myth of the Normal Brain: Embracing Neurodiversity" argues that there is no single, "normal" brain, and that society's tendency to pathologize neurological differences (like autism, ADHD, or dyslexia) is misguided. It suggests that these differences, far from being disorders, can offer unique strengths and advantages in certain contexts. The article advocates for the neurodiversity model, which views neurological variations as natural human diversity, similar to biodiversity, and calls for societal adaptation to include all ways of thinking. The article critiques the medical model, which seeks to "normalize" individuals rather than accepting and accommodating their differences.

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Journal of Ethics | American Medical Association

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The Myth of the Normal Brain: Embracing Neurodiversity

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A judicious approach to autism would be to replace a “disability” or “illness” paradigm with a “diversity” perspective that takes into account both strengths and weaknesses and the idea that variation can be positive in and of itself.

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Bill Viola Interview: Cameras are Keepers of the Souls

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Letter as an ancestor - exercise (first try)

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Letter as an ancestor - exercise (first try)

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This is an ai generated podcast explain what my project is about, My aim is to do a short film so represent what they are saying

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Frontiers | Development of talent according to Sinti and Calon Romani

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Intercultural dialogue is a challenging demand for contemporary education, especially concerning the development of talents and potentials. This exploratory…

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Neurodivergency connection to ancient or tribal human practtices

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Neurodivergency connection to ancient or tribal human practtices

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NEURODIVERGENT CONNECTION TO ANCIENT OR TRIBAL HUMAN PRACTICES

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Created by ai with the use of my notes and documents.

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The work of Małgorzata Mirga-Tas (Poland, Zakopane, 1978) is a visual sensation that invites deeper reflection. The colours shimmer and the scenes are so vivid that they seem to move.

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View all magical art installations of Morena Bamberger

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Małgorzata Mirga-Tas is a Polish-Romani artist and activist. She deals with antigypsyist stereotypes and engages in building an affirmative and situated iconography of a Roma community from a minority feminist perspective. She graduated from the Faculty of Sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow (2004).

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Frontiers | Development of talent according to Sinti and Calon Romani

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Intercultural dialogue is a challenging demand for contemporary education, especially concerning the development of talents and potentials. This exploratory…

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Dear Joana,

You can use google scholar and the search engine of the Minerva library.

If you search within these search engines on the basis of your keywords you might find interesting sources.

You can find more search engines under the following link:

https://padlet.com/Silex/sources-search-engines-and-social-networks-for-research-mwhkztl0i93t4tgz

You already have an interesting start for the thesis/final essay. You will go into your family history connected with the history of colonialism entangled with questions concerning (your) identity and the concepts of FE and Lypophrenia (that refers to a feeling of sadness without cause, mostly when you miss someone.)

This is probably relatable to the history of the Calon Romani: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.964668/full   You told about how your ancestors were driven away from Portugal by the Christians and how they were paradoxically received with open hands in Brazil by Brazilian Christians. Use historical sources for this (and your interviews and experience off course), make references. You were also talking about how there is again a kind of colonialism going on. For instance, Westerns are invited with open hands that don’t have to pay that much tax while the Portuguese Romani are excluded.

You can use interviews and letters for the thesis in which you try to tell the story of your ancestors and how this affects your identity (FE) and how it is related to the contemporary circumstances in Portugal. In your research it’s also interesting to involve your work. How is this related to this context. You can do this like your former process essay. This is a good starting point.

Already make notes that you later can use for your essay.

I can also recommend you to tap into the following artists: Małgorzata Mirga-Tas https://roma-biennale.com/artists/malgorzata-mirga-tas/  and Morena  https://www.morenabambergerart.com/art-installations

You were also discussing to make use of letters, to write a letter to your future self. Also you were thinking about to use music in relation to your sculptures. This mind be an interesting perspective. Do you also want to use Romani music for this? Write about your experiments and try-outs, what worked and worked not and why it didn’t or did work?

Best regards,

Hille

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Azulejo (Spanish: [aθuˈlexo] Portuguese: [ɐzuˈleʒu, ɐzuˈlɐjʒu]) ; from the Arabic al-zillīj, الزليج)[1][2] is a form of Portuguese and Spanish painted tin-glazed ceramic tilework. Azulejos are found on the interior and exterior of churches, palaces, ordinary houses, schools, and nowadays, restaurants, bars and even railways or subway stations. They are an ornamental art form, but also had a specific functional capacity like temperature control in homes.

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#Adriana Varejão #AdrianaVarejão

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#Małgorzata Mirga-Tas #MałgorzataMirga-Tas

Two Venice Biennale Pavilions Focus on #Roma Experiences, Including the First One Ever Dedicated to a #Romani Artist | Artnet News

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The Roma people of Europe have long been disenfranchised, discriminated against, and excluded from public life-and their experiences in the art world have been no exception. That's why it's especially profound and urgent that not one, but two pavilions at the 2022 Venice Biennale deal directly with Romani experiences.

At the Polish Pavilion, artist Małgorzata Mirga-Tas has become the first Roma artist ever to take over a national biennale pavilion in the show's 150-year history. And at the Greek pavilion, a surrealist VR film by Greek artist Loukia Alavanou transports viewers through a Roma settlement outside of Athens.

"It's truly a historical moment," said Polish pavilion co-curator Joanna Warsza at the unveiling of the presentation.

Mirga-Tas's exhibition, "Re-enchanting the World," is a triumphant celebration of Roma life and history. Massive and vividly colored fabric and hand-stiched panels adorn the majestic exterior of the pavilion as the floor to ceiling inside are filled work images.

The three tiers of panels represent 500-year old frescos at Palazzo Schifanoia in Ferrara, Italy. Mirga-Tas reinterprets this historic format to focus on her own people, who are almost entirely absent from Western art.

She included on the upper panel depictions of Roma migrations across Europe, appropriating some image of Roma people that did make it into art history: disparaging images made by printmaker Jacques Callot in the 17th century. She transforms these into truthful and poignant celebrations of the nomadic Romanis' diasporic history.

"For much of history, we never created images of ourselves," Mirga-Tassaid. "It is very symbolic for me. It is not only about me as a Polish-based Roma artist, but it is about my whole community. I am here as a representative."

She made the works with reused garments and the help of family members and women in her community of Czarna Góra, a village at the foot of the Tatra Mountains in Poland.

"We have had to deal with stereotypes about what Roma artists are and where Roma artists are entitled to display their work," Warcaw said at the unveiling. "This is about pride in the concept of being a Roma human being."

At the nearby Greek pavilion, Alavanou's show, "Oedipus in Search of Colonus," tries to bring viewers into proximity with Romani experience with an entirely different aesthetic and tone.

The powerful VR presentation, curated by Heinz Peter Schwerfel, juxtaposes Greek classical mythology with the realities of life for Roma. It also offers an unusually intimate interaction.

The artist, who is not of Roma descent, transformed the normally bright pavilion into a cavernous domed room with more than a dozen VR headsets. The 16-minute film drops viewers into a Roma settlement in Athens called Neo Zoi, which translates to new life. Despite the town's name, the people in it live in impoverished conditions. It was settled after World War II by Romanis who had survived the Nazi's brutal persecution.

"It was a complete coincidence that I found Neo Zoi," Alavanou said. "It changed my life."

Though it has been there for decades, it is virtually unknown to Greeks like her who live just 20 kilometers away.

Using this setting, Alavanou reinterprets the Sophoclean drama Oedipus at Colonus using a cast of amateur local Roma actors. The actors recreate the story of the exile of Oedipus and how it raises questions regarding belonging, life, and death.

The VR pans through the settlement, making viewers into eyewitnesses of a modern-day Oedipus and Antigone, played by two amateur Roma actors. Children from the settlement don Greek chorus-like masks, which Alavanou incporprates convincingly using high-tech immersive video and surreal imagery.

"'Oedipus in Seach of Colonus' may be a journey through time from the past to the present," Schwerfel, the curator, said. "But that journey is also a carousel that rotates around its own axis by definition, just like art."

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Two Venice Biennale Pavilions Focus on Roma Experiences, Including the First One Ever Dedicated to a Romani Artist | Artnet News

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The Polish pavilion is filled with works by Małgorzta Mirga-Tas reflecting on the lives and experiences of Roma people.

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Forgotten History: the Romani (Gypsy) Migration from India to Europe

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THE LAST HORSE TRADERS | CIGANOS (GYPSIES) IN PORTUGAL

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THE LAST HORSE TRADERS | CIGANOS (GYPSIES) IN PORTUGAL

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THE LAST HORSE TRADERS | CIGANOS IN PORTUGAL

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Hybridity Identity In-betweeness Liminality 

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Hybridity Identity In-betweeness Liminality 

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#Hybridity #Identity #In-betweeness #Liminality

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#Nomad #NomadIdentity

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Liminal Identity Fluidity in Multiplicit

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#nomadism #Nomad #NomadIdentity #RosiBraidotti

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#nomadism #Nomad #NomadIdentity #RosiBraidotti

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Over the last few years, we have seen attacks on citizens in some EU member states, deportations in others, and difficulties for citizens to access the rights they are entitled. Brexit has highlighted in many ways the difficulties EU citizens can face, but should not be seen in isolation, with citizens facing problems in realising their right to move, and to move with their families, in many countries, from Belgium to Sweden, Germany to Romania. Rosi Braidotti has spent a life in transit, moving between cultures and languages. She has explored the notion of "nomadism", which has become the key concept for the development of an extremely rich and original research, varying from poststructuralism, to the history of feminism, to ethics. In this conversation with Sara Saleri, PhD at the University of Bologna, they talked about ethical gestures, feminism and the possibilities of a nomadic political practice.

Sara Saleri: The idea of the nomadic subject was born as a philosophical concept, as an existential condition, as a (non structured) form of one's own identity. In recent years you have especially reflected on this concept in an ethical dimension, as what should be the basis of political action. We especially think about Transpositions , where you maintain that "a nomadic and not unitary vision of the subject, instead of impeding ethically relevant positions, constitutes a necessary precondition for the formulation of an ethics which measures up to the complexities of our time". Which are the concrete practices you think of, when you talk about politics of location, of multiple becoming, of the necessity of going through differences and belongings that can also be contradictory? Which could be the figures and everyday experiences of nomadism?

Rosi Braidotti: The project on nomadic subjects emerges from feminist philosophies, post-colonial philosophies and anti-racist philosophies, critical theory, social theory. And then it develops into an analytical tool to look at three classes of problems. First of all, the cultural mutations, which I call "the cultural cartography": what is happening to bodies, identities, belongings, in a world that is technologically mediated, ethnically mixed and changing very fast in all sort of ways. Secondly, there is a clearly political project: can we think other ways of being globalized, of becoming planetary, or are we stuck with this neoliberal model? Is there another way in which we can rethink at our interconnections? And then, finally, the ethical issue: what are the values of subjects who are not unitary but are split, complex, nomadic?

These three dimensions are reflected in my trilogy of books: Nomadic Subjects (1994, Columbia University Press) is the starting social statement, Metamorphoses (2002, Polity Press) deals with the cultural part, while Transpositions (2006, Polity Press) focuses on ethics.

Our European citizenship allows us to recombine nationality and ethnic origins in very unprecedented ways: in fact, we can delink citizenship from ethnicity and connect it to participation, belonging.

In terms of practical implications, there are two clear areas in which nomadic subjectivity can be seen. First, the actual practice of flexible citizenship, which I explored in my work on Europe: a temporary, interim citizenship based on delinking ethnic origin from nationality and citizenship and then recombining them in different ways. Our European citizenship allows us to recombine nationality and ethnic origins in very unprecedented ways: in fact, we can delink citizenship from ethnicity and connect it to participation, belonging. And I think that this model of nomadic citizenship, that would be pragmatic and grounded, instead of abstract and based on nationality, is what we have to focus on.

Second, connected to this, the idea of nomadic subject allows us to have a different take on immigration: we have to stop looking at immigration as a problem and see immigration as simply of globalization. We have to start from the fact that the world will never be culturally and ethnically homogenous again: that world is over. Then, we have to think about the multiple forms of belonging of subjects and map out different configurations of nomadism, different ways in which a subject can have multiple belongings, multiple ways in which ethnicity, nationality and citizenship can actually be combined, even within the same nation state.

A model of nomadic post-colonial theory would allow you to de-criminalize, depenalize, de-pathologize the problem, and also not to discuss post-colonial theory only in terms of other possible identities. The crucial thing about nomadic subject is that it is post-identitarian: nomadic is a verb, a process by which we map out multiple transformations and multiple ways of belonging, each depending on where our particular location is and how we grow. So we have to map out the alternative cartographies of the non-unitary subjects that we are, so that we can get rid of any idea that there are subjects that are completely unitary, belonging entirely to one location.

SS: This concept of "flexible citizenship" seems to recall the idea by Hannah Arendt of reversed human rights, which would guarantee the right to citizenship at an international level. A political citizenship in a political space, wider than the one possible within the nation state. Arendt saw a possibility of this kind of citizenship in the project of federal Europe: do you think this notion could be realised in the Europe we have, increasingly more constructed as a fortress, opposed to those who try to enter its borders? Instead, how can we imagine and how can we build a different Europe, really post-national, which would open to this kind of citizenship?

RB: We obviously have the Europe that we deserve. Europe is made through elections in which very few people vote. Clearly a political project that construct a post-national Europe is not there. And Daniel Cohen Bendit, the leader of my party, the European Greens, has been forever working within the institutions, to have the political Europe on the agenda. It's a political decision if we do it or not: the institutional and legal means are in place. If you look at the work done at the European Institute in Florence by armies of lawyers who have worked out the structure of a possible European citizenship, it is absolutely feasible and easy to delink citizenship from ethnic origins or even nationalities.

So the entire infrastructure is in place, there's no political will. And I think in the last ten years - I was talking with Luisa Passerini about this - the political project of Europe has regressed enormously, under the combined forces of the delirious nationalistic right and the equally delirious old fashioned left: I hold them both entirely responsible. A middle way that can allow us constructing a Europe where - as Spinelli, Schumann and Monnet were pointing out - the European framework would actually allow us to bypass nationalism, would be possible to postulate citizenship on participation, on belonging, on taxation, on being there... allowing people without countries, stateless people, to be citizens. To give everyone the right to have rights, using precisely the European legal framework as an unprecedented legal framework, that would allow us to transcend the nation state. This is the greatness of this project, but it is not highlighted in the public debate.

SS: A keyword in all your work is "responsibility". In "Transposition", you defined ethics as a whole of "intersected forms of situated responsibility", linked to a politics of location: we have to become "other", to take the responsibilities linked not only to the roles we act, but also to the roles we can keep in memory (a memory which is intergenerational and collective). How do you think this becoming-other, becoming-multiple can be translated in practice, beyond an increased awareness of oneself as a subject (or many subjects)? Is it a project which ends in the individuality of a subject, or do you think it also as a collective project?

The whole process of is a process of abandoning identity and entering in the construction of subjectivity, subjectivity being per definition transversal, collective.

RB: I think we have to start from eliminating identities. We will never arrive anywhere if we identity as a starting point. In fact the whole process of is a process of abandoning identity and entering in the construction of subjectivity, subjectivity being per definition transversal, collective. This is an enormous switch because even the political movements I have known in the 70s were identitarian movements: women's movements would fight for women, gay movements would fight for gays... There is sometimes a sort of one-on-one equivalence between the grief and the remedy, what you are complaining against and what you propose as an alternative. This one-on-one equivalence has to switch, transcending the merely identitarian claim and look at the broader issue.

This point was already made back in the 80s by poststructuralists, when there was a critique of Hegelian and Marxist identity politics. It went for a large part unheard, but if you read early Foucault, middle Deleuze, Derrida, it is clear that the only possible ethics for the global world is collectively shared, because the scale of the problems is planetary, gigantic.

An example for this is what people continue to call "the environmental problem" - as if it were a problem, when it is in fact the possibility of the future. It is like immigration: these issues are not problems, they are either a fact or a condition of possibility for survival. You can't address a problem today, whether it is water, or clean air, without having to take into account a common condition, planetary, almost global, and future generations. That is the clear example of the ethical shift that we need.

And of course our morality - Kantian or Judeo-Christian - is not only individualistic but it is like a contract between self and other, a negotiation: "I don't do to you what you don't do to me, etc.". A kind of capitalist driven negotiation of boundaries. No matter what neo-Kantians of today - such as Martha Nussbaum - say, that model is simply inadequate to the scale and dimension of problems we have.

We need to be able to think for future generations who cannot do anything for us. The future per definition cannot be reciprocal, so we should exit the Kantian morality "I do that for you, you do that for me"... No! You do that for the love of humanity, because if we don't do that, there is no going to be a humanity! So we have to give up the idea of reciprocity and we instead to know that we share a specificity of a certain condition. And we have to give up a certain notion which, by the year 2010, has lead to an assimilation of progress with further consumption: you will consume more than we did, we consume more than our parents did, our parents consumed more than their parents did... as a consequence of that, now we are at the verge of a catastrophe, financial, environmental, demographic.

The eco-philosophical problem highlights the size of the issues we look at. When we look at war and peace, development, problems in the third world, increasing poverty in the first world ... I think either we understand we are in this together, or it's not going to work. It's not a matter of choice but of necessity, to think of collective responsibility in a non-reciprocal manner, covering humans and nonhumans. We need an ethics for our times, and not the application of moral rules that are based in an 18th century world - I'm sorry, but I don't live in that world. I don't even think we have to see it as a choice.

** The Campus of European Alternatives took part in Florence from July 19-22 with trainings on freedom of movement and countering the rise of far right and xenophobia. Discover more about the Campus here

This conversation is an excerpt of an interview published in May 2010 in Transeuropa Magazine. The full interview is available online .

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On nomadism: A conversation with Rosi Braidotti

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Over the last few years, we have seen attacks on citizens in some EU member states, deportations in others, and difficulties for citizens to access the rights they are entitled.

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#Hybridity #Identity #In-Between

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#Hybridity #In-Between #Identity

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Belonging: Remembering Ourselves Home with Toko-pa Turner

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#Companion #StudyGuide #Belonging #Home #Toko-Pa Turner

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Read 216 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. 2017 Nautilus Award Gold Winner for Personal Growth The world has never been more connect...

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Post 1:
#Belonging:  #Toko-PaTurner

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Dear Joanna,

We talked about identity, and especially about your family history. There are different lines, one that maybe goes back to Angola, one to Portugal, and one to a Roma heritage. You told me about Dubai where you moved to when you were ten. How awkward it sometimes felt. A sort of uprootedness in this city where probably 80 percent of the people are foreigners. You told me how this made you feel in-between, a nomad identity. Drifting between worlds where it is challenging to find roots. Also, the strict regulations in Dubai make it not easy to fully express your identity in freedom.

Also, you made a video work with tiles in which you made a connection between your Portuguese heritage and the Dutch tradition of blue tiles on the Island of Schiermonnikoog. And that your former work - in which you used an AI program that started to recognize your way of making and visual interest - has maybe also to do with identity?

In the end, we were talking about how in your essay you could go into the background of your family history. You could collect interviews with your relatives in which you try to learn more about the stories of your ancestors. Is there a colonial line? You were also telling me about how due to different family lines there’s a bit of racism in the family (tension between relatives) and also how you experienced racism yourself in Portugal while your brothers have less to cope with this because of their white skin. Next to the stuff you collect in your interviews with relatives, you could also go into your own life experiences concerning this matter. Next to that, you could also see if you can put certain stories of your family into a historical perspective (for instance the history of Portugal, Angola, and Roma in Portugal, or check if there are Portuguese historical objects you can link to this history?). I also put in the Silex texts about belonging (post 1), nomad identity (post 2), and about in-between identities which sometimes is also related to the term Liminality and Hybridity (post 3). See connections.