About this event
As a neurodivergent child born in the mid-90s, Tré later identified with Jubilee in the 1992 television show X-Men: The Animated Series, who too was shunned by those around her.
Through characters like Jubilee, audiences can see these are young adult stories that centre children, young people, and their adult mentors victimised by a system that discriminates based on genetics. And through mutant metaphors on page and screen the X-Men stories have been social commentaries of discrimination, violence, and identity since their inception in 1963.
In this lecture, historian and sociologist Tré Ventour-Griffiths will discuss Marvel’s X-Men as a neurodivergent cultural text via its united themes including crises of identity and discrimination.
The neurotypes considered as 'divergences' from the apparent default, autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD and so forth, may be seen as genetic variants: a stark parallel between the lives of those who they called ‘The Mutants’ and neurodivergent people now.
Are neurodivergent people superpowered, or like Armando Muñoz (codename Darwin), do they adapt to survive?
Claims to superpowers oversimplify the narrative and ‘able-wash’ neurodivergent lived experience including trauma and abuse. If we tear away the veil, stories of The Mutants can teach us lots about ableism and pride, as the line between abled supremacy and survival is violent in all worlds.
This talk will be followed by 30 minutes of Q&A with Tré from 3:30-4pm for those who can stay on after the talk. This is a free event and open to staff, students and members of the public.
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