Perplexing nearness: Autism, family life, and interspecies relationality

Abstract

What does it mean to be “near” for families with autistic teenagers and young adults in Denmark? We explore this question, drawing upon critical phenomenology and the anthropologies of autism and kinship. More specifically, we investigate how families experience and respond to living with autism in family lives where commonsense notions of closeness and intimacy are not always possible. Following longitudinal fieldwork with eight families, we present examples of entanglements between human and non-human animals as they emerge in disorienting situations, experiences of uncertainty, surprise, and wonder. Through a method and analysis of perplexity, we argue that dwelling on perplexing moments of interspecies relationality not only holds a potential to reveal unconventional and productive modes of relating, but also offers a critical lens on normative frameworks of family life in Denmark.