Following the threads of social magma: Neurodiversity as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity (UNESCO)

Abstract

“Neurodiversity” is a magmatic term, it defines at the same time, a concept and a set of communities. The neurodiversity communities are built primarily online and are agitated by various controversies. They share contradictory concepts, variegated literatures and expose gestures representative of their neurological differences. Despite their differences, the communities agree upon the necessity to protect neurodiversity from an external threat that is yet to be defined. We can use the UNESCO representative list of intangible cultural heritage as a co-writing frame in order to emulate controversies on Reddit neurodiversity threads and emulate discussions on the concept of neurological heritage, its limits and its risks. This action-research project offers a participative writing frame in order to identify cultural elements of the neurodiverse movements and disentangle the threads of social magma.