We See Things They'll Never See - by Chantelle Jessica Lewis & Jason Arday

Book Synopsis

How neurotypical hegemony reproduces a culture of exclusion--and how to overcome this with love, hope, and solidarity

Ableism is embedded in our daily lives. Social life, education, work, and, especially, mental health have been organized around rigid ideas of the "ideal" and the "normal" citizen--ideas that always exclude neurodiversity. In this pathbreaking book, Chantelle Jessica Lewis and Jason Arday argue that the neurodiversity movement offers ways to mobilize against not only ableism but also other "isms" including racism and capitalism. By focusing on the prevalence of neurotypical dominance and power--or "neurotypical hegemony"--Lewis and Arday show the ways that neurotypical dominance has often been used to justify and normalize some of our more harmful cultures around productivity and value.

Throughout the book, Lewis and Arday use theories of Blackness, feminism, class, and neurodivergence to offer a vision of solidarities across differences. They show that race, class, ethnicity, gender, and nation are just some of the social structures for which the politics of neurodiversity can produce an emancipatory analysis. This is a book about applying social theory in practice, taking seriously how academic research and theory can be used outside of academic spaces. With We See Things They'll Never See, Lewis and Arday issue a call to action--and a call for understanding, acceptance, and humility.

Review Quotes

"A powerful argument for a fundamental shift in how we view the workplace."---Julie Kratz, Forbes

"This book is a manifesto for change and inclusion with an emphasis that we don't have to wait for a utopian future - a better life for us all is possible today."---Alexa MacDermot, The Sociological Review

""We See Things They'll Never See is a fascinating, beautifully argued, hard-hitting book whose innovative analysis of neurodiversity promises to push the theoretical boundaries of intersectional theory and politics. Offering a clear-eyed analysis of how differently the world looks to people who are neurodiverse within a system of neurotypical hegemony, Lewis and Arday invite readers to see the world as they do, one of heartbreaking barriers but also one that offers possibilities for love, hope, and social change."--Patricia Hill Collins, University of Maryland"

""Chantelle Jessica Lewis and Jason Arday have produced a highly original book that discusses neurodiversity using insights from understanding how to combat discrimination based on classism, ableism, sexism, or racism. Their friendship is evident in their writing, which shines a light on how to unify people, to create a better world."--Simon Baron-Cohen, University of Cambridge"

""The book is a beautiful contribution to scholarship. It builds upon past research--especially the voices of scholars of color--in a very generous way, and offers a unique contribution in its tone, prioritizing acceptance, love, and hope, and in its engagement of voice."--Marybeth Gasman, Rutgers University"

""This book develops a highly original political analysis of love and neurodiversity through a new synthesis of neurodiversity, disability studies, Black feminist, and Marxist scholarship. It provides a very significant contribution to the emerging field of neurodiversity studies."--Robert Chapman, author of Empire of Normality: Neurodiversity and Capitalism"

""Urgent and truly beautiful. With exquisite delicacy and intelligence, Lewis and Arday explain and exhort the necessity of recognizing and valuing human differences and neurodiversity without ever preaching or condescending. We See Things They'll Never See is a zeitgeist-defining call to action. We will all benefit from learning its lessons."--James O'Brien, LBC"

"In this extraordinary volume, public sociologists Chantelle Jessica Lewis and Jason Arday explore neurodiversity at the intersections of critical theory, Black feminism, disability studies and love. The result is a generous, reflective, accessible and liberating framework for deconstructing neurotypical hegemony in the service of creating a more inclusive society for all."-- "Ms. Magazine"

"We'll See Things They'll Never See, makes an original and valuable contribution for those theorising and working toward social and racial justice. It is relevant for an academic, activist and public audience. For scholars of race and racism in particular, and those engaging with intersectionality, it pushes us to look for ways to think differently and open up our analyses in order to be attentive to the intimate overlaps of racism, classism and capitalism, ableism and other forms of power and marginalisation.""---Siobhan O'Neill, Ethnic and Racial Studies

About the Author

Chantelle Jessica Lewis is the Andrew Pitt Junior Research Fellow in Black British studies at Pembroke College, University of Oxford. She is the codirector of Surviving Society Productions, associate at Leading Routes and Genius Within, and a trustee of The Sociological Review. Jason Arday is professor of sociology of education at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of Cool Britannia and Multi-Ethnic Britain and a trustee of the British Sociological Association (BSA). He also sits on the ITV Cultural Advisory Council and is patron of the Adult Literacy Trust (ALT).