Transing the archive: Toward a trans‐autistic historiography of neurodivergent futures

This article advances transing the archive as a methodological intervention into how autism's canonical history became institutionally secured through archival processes operating within clinical and bureaucratic regimes, not simply through omission. Drawing on archival and digital ethnographic research, I trace how translation hierarchies, citation regimes, and diagnostic inscription consolidated particular clinicians and deficit framings while marginalizing more relational figures such as Grunya Sukhareva and Anni Weiss. I argue that these processes function as recognition infrastructures, shaping what becomes documentable, citable, and actionable across institutional systems. I analyze autistic digital counter-archives-hashtag recirculation, annotation, and diagnostic reinterpretation-as patterned historiographical work that intervenes by re-translating, re-citing, and re-inscribing medical knowledge. By reframing archives as contested infrastructures, this article extends medical anthropology's engagement with evidence, temporality, and epistemic authority.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Medical Anthropology Quarterly
Published
2026-09-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/maq.70096
Primary Topic
Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
article

Transing the archive: Toward a trans‐autistic historiography of neurodivergent futures

Jesica R. Bates
Medical Anthropology Quarterly
Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
article

Transing the archive: Toward a trans‐autistic historiography of neurodivergent futures

Jesica R. Bates
article en

Abstract

This article advances transing the archive as a methodological intervention into how autism's canonical history became institutionally secured through archival processes operating within clinical and bureaucratic regimes, not simply through omission. Drawing on archival and digital ethnographic research, I trace how translation hierarchies, citation regimes, and diagnostic inscription consolidated particular clinicians and deficit framings while marginalizing more relational figures such as Grunya Sukhareva and Anni Weiss. I argue that these processes function as recognition infrastructures, shaping what becomes documentable, citable, and actionable across institutional systems. I analyze autistic digital counter-archives-hashtag recirculation, annotation, and diagnostic reinterpretation-as patterned historiographical work that intervenes by re-translating, re-citing, and re-inscribing medical knowledge. By reframing archives as contested infrastructures, this article extends medical anthropology's engagement with evidence, temporality, and epistemic authority.

Medical Anthropology Quarterly
Louisiana State University (US)
Industry, innovation and infrastructure
Openalex Percentile: Top 9%
Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.