Centring Autistic Life Worlds in Tōjisha Kenkyū

Project Synopsis

This project contributes to research on autism by bringing tōjisha kenkyū, a research method developed in Japan, to North America. In the practice of tōjisha kenkyū, people with disabilities become researchers of their own conditions outside of biomedical frameworks. The method offers a radically inclusive and flexible process through which to reconsider what health is. Public presentations and screenings of an ethnographic film produced by the project will contribute to public debate about social stigma, autism, identity and disability.

Project Team

Principal Investigator:

• Yelena Gluzman, Assistant Professor, Department of Art & Design and Media and Technology Studies Program, University of Alberta

International Collaborators:

• Shinichiro Kumagaya, Tōjisha Kenkyū Lab, University of Tokyo
• Ayaya Sasaki, Research Centre for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Tokyo