Category: Slurs

Reclaiming the Label ‘Autistic’

On By BIAP Research ManagerIn Autism, Derogation, Diversity, Neurodiversity, Philosophy of Language, Slurs

This is a post by Bianca Cepollaro (Vita-Salute San Raffaele University), Marta Jorba (Pompeu Fabra University), Valentina Petrolini (University of Bologna).

Designed by Freepik

The word ‘autistic’ has recently been reclaimed, especially within neurodiversity movements. We can observe how it is used with pride in political slogans (e.g., “I am autistic and I am proud”), online communities (e.g., r/AutisticPride on Reddit, whose description reads: “a bunch of proud autistic folks”; #autisticpride hashtag on X), blog posts (e.g., “Autistic as a reclaimed word”), popular articles, and activism.

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Derogation, Common Ground, and Why We Disagree

On By BIAP Research ManagerIn Derogation, Philosophy of Language, Slurs, Stereotypes

This is a post by Teresa Marques (University of Barcelona).

Consider how ordinary speakers argue about words like charnego, gitano, or negrito. In some contexts their use is taken to be straightforwardly degrading; in others it is defended as neutral, affectionate, or at least nonderogatory. These disagreements are familiar and often heated. They pose a natural philosophical question: what, exactly, makes a term derogatory, and how should we understand cases in which competent speakers sincerely disagree about whether a word counts as a slur at all?

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