Empire of Normality

´Groundbreaking ... [provides] a deep history of the invention of the "normal" mind as one of the most damaging and oppressive tools of capitalism. To read it is to see the world more clearly´ Steve Silberman, author of NeuroTribes ´Argues that a radical politics of neurodiversity is necessary, not only for neurodivergent folk, but for our collective liberation´ Professor Hel Spandler, editor, Asylum magazine ´A vital book that kindles the flames of a neurodivergent revolution´ Beatrice Adler-Bolton, co-author of Health Communism Neurodiversity is on the rise. Awareness and diagnoses have exploded in recent years, but we are still missing a wider understanding of how we got here and why. Beyond simplistic narratives of normativity and difference, this groundbreaking book exposes the very myth of the ´normal´ brain as a product of intensified capitalism. Exploring the rich histories of the neurodiversity and disability movements, Robert Chapman shows how the rise of capitalism created an ´empire of normality´ that transformed our understanding of the body into that of a productivity machine. Neurodivergent liberation is possible - but only by challenging the deepest logics of capitalism. Empire of Normality is an essential guide to understanding the systems that shape our bodies, minds and deepest selves - and how we can undo them. Robert Chapman is a neurodivergent philosopher who has taught at King´s College London and Bristol University. They are currently Assistant Professor in Critical Neurodiversity Studies at Durham University. They blog at Psychology Today and at Critical Neurodiversity.