參照伊恩哈金的自閉症探問

Abstract

在過去十五年之間，自閉症一時成為公共論辯的議題，不只在西方如英國美國，同時也在亞洲如印度日本。2007年11月間研究者與科學/醫療概念史傑出學者Ian Hacking有機緣共同訪視了台中服務自閉症兒童的機構，與十幾位家長老師座談，在自閉症主題上做了密切的交換。這個事件啟動了本研究的動機：哈金這般興趣廣泛而洞見豐富的科學史學者為何，又如何對自閉症感興趣？除了一篇書評哈金尚未有其他關於自閉症研究的發表，他表示一年後才會著手書寫。本研究計畫在時間上平行於哈金的研究，參照哈金過去在多重人格、精神分裂等醫療概念史的著作，揣摹著他可能的的方式進行自閉症研究。目的一方面在精讀他科學概念史的研究策略與觀點，另一方面探討自閉症問題可能的社會與文化研究意涵。

In recent fifteen years, autism has become a front-burner topic. In parts of Asia, notably Japan and India, as well as in the Western societies, especially in UK and US, autism is becoming increasingly a topic of public debate. The cross-path with Ian Hacking in Taiwan, November 2007, provides an impetus to this research proposal. Hacking, an internationally renowned scholar in the history of scientific/medical ideas, has not yet published anything except a book review on the issue of autism. He said (16 November) he now devotes about 5% of his time on the issue of autism and will not begin to write until a year later. But why such a scholar is interested in autism? How would he proceed with his research? What could the main thrust of his findings be? This research tries to parallel his study in time, on autism, cross-reference with his previous study on the medical ideas such as multiple personality, schizophrenias and dissociative fugue. The purpose is to close read Hacking’s research strategy and insight on the one hand, and to explore the social and cultural contexts in which autism becomes an epidemic, on the other.