Klunder, Kayliegh
(2025)
“Everyone’s a Little Autistic’’: Dutch Autistic Christians Navigating Epistemic Injustice.
Bachelor thesis, Bachelor Religiewetenschappen.
Abstract
This thesis explores the religious lived experience of autistic Christians within the Dutch
Protestant context and examines how they navigate (Christian) discourses on autism. It aims to
shed light on issues of epistemic (in)justice and epistemic agency by highlighting their voices,
which have often been neglected. Using a qualitative approach, the study includes six
semi-structured interviews with autistic Christians and a Critical Discourse Analysis of a podcast
episode on autism produced by a Christian radio station. The findings suggest that due to the
neuronormativity of our society, the dominant discourse on autism characterises it as deficiency
or deviation. This neuronormative attitude is often not recognised as it operates on implicit and
unacknowledged assumptions of what is considered ‘normal’. This bias influences all aspects of
church culture such as liturgy and theology which results in autistic Christians experiencing
epistemic injustice and exclusion in the church environment. Nevertheless, the participants have
numerous ways to deal with these forms of epistemic injustice, thereby challenging dominant
understandings of autism as well as the neuronormative church structure. Moreover they
advocate for more recognition for difference and autism awareness. These findings demonstrate
the responsibility of congregations to actively engage with autistic voices and reflect on their
norms and values in order to foster a more inclusive, accessible and epistemically just
community.
| Type: |
Thesis
(Bachelor)
|
| Supervisors (RUG): |
| Supervisor | E-mail | Tutor organization | Tutor email |
|---|
| Mucciarelli, E. | | Faculteit GGW, Faculteit Godgeleerdheid en Godsdienstwetenschap | e.mucciarelli@rug.nl | | Bartelink, B.E. | | Faculteit GGW, Vergelijkende Religiewetenschap | B.E.Bartelink@rug.nl |
|
| Degree programme: |
Bachelor Religiewetenschappen |
| Academic year: |
2024-2025 |
| Date of delivery: |
03 Feb 2026 10:48 |
| Last modified: |
03 Feb 2026 10:48 |
| URI: |
https://rcs.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/864 |
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