Rethinking Power in Autism Research: Intersectional, Participatory, and Afrocentric Futures?
This facilitated conversation brings together Olivia Matshabane, Danielle Baptiste and Monique Botha to examine how power, inclusion, and knowledge operate across neurodiversity research. Drawing on Olivia’s and other African scholars’ scholarship thinking about African neuroethics, cultural humility, and community-centred models of care, Danielle’s PhD research on late-diagnosed Black autistic women’s experiences, and Monique’s scholarship on neurodiversity as a collective, activist-led framework, the discussion will question whose knowledge shapes research agendas and whose lives are marginalised by dominant clinical and academic models. Together, they will explore what more accountable, political and decolonial directions in neurodiversity research might look like.
About the speakers
Dr Olivia Matshabane is a Research Psychologist and Neuroethics Researcher in the Department of Psychiatry at Stellenbosch University. She is the Principal Investigator of the Africa Neuroethics Research Group and the Co-director of the African Neuroscience Neuroethics and Society Short Course. Her research focuses on the ethical, social, psychological, and cultural implications of genomics research in neuropsyhicatric and neurodevelopmental conditions in Africa. She has been involved in various global organizational efforts related to advancing neuroethical guidelines for emerging neurotechnologies, which are being introduced for adults and children with brain and mental health conditions. She is passionate about ensuring that we move towards ethical innovations that benefit all members of society.
Dr Monique Botha is an Assistant Professor in the University of Durham’s Department of Psychology, where they are completing a Leverhulme Fellowship begun in their prior role at the University of Stirling titled “Fragile Knowledge: Dehumanisation & Interpretation Bias in Autism Research”. They are a Community Psychologist with a focus on autism, social psychology, equality, and mental health. They are passionate about producing research that can help autistic people of all ages to live equitably in communities.
Monique guested on episode 2 of the QUAHRC’s Neurodiversity Matters podcast series, discussing funding priorities in research and community justice.
Danielle Baptiste is a PhD researcher in Education and Psychology at the University of Warwick. As a neurodivergent researcher, her work explores the mental health and lived experiences of Black women diagnosed with autism in adulthood, addressing how race, gender, and neurodivergence intersect in shaping identity and wellbeing. She advocates for participatory approaches that centre marginalised voices and challenge exclusionary narratives in autism research.
