Autism in Interaction

This book seeks to build further links between (im)politeness research and autism by countering prevailing notions in pragmatics around autism and media portrayals of autistic characters through the lens of neurodiversity.

The volume explores the social, cognitive, and emotional impact of perceptions of rudeness and autistic masking on autistic individuals and the need for pragmatics research to move away from existing theorizations and instead put neurodiversity at the fore. Jagodzinski locates the book’s theoretical foundations in the work of Goffman, reconceptualizing notions of face, facework, and line around interpersonal dynamics from a neurodivergent perspective. Jagodzinski uses Polish television series Herkules, which stars an autistic character, as a springboard for showcasing a new pragmatic model for neurodivergent facework rooted in autistic unmasking, best understood as being motivated by the need to bid for interactional freedom that is then co-constructed with a neurotypical interlocutor. The book makes the case for introducing new language and perspectives in the way we describe autistic communication toward capturing pragmatic differences specific to the autistic community in an inclusive way.

This book will be appeal to scholars in pragmatics, politeness studies, and language and communication, as well as those interested in interdisciplinary perspectives in autism research.