Zen and the art of aut-ethnography: a tribute to Robert M. Pirsig

Milton, D. (2017). Zen and the art of aut-ethnography: a tribute to Robert M. Pirsig. Disability & Society, 32(10), 1671-1676. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2017.1368889

Publication date: 6 Sep 2017 Added to AutiHub: 6 Jul 2026 Type: Article Article language: English

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Authors

Publication authors
1
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 1 (100.0%)

Abstract

With the passing of Robert M. Pirsig, I felt that it was an appropriate time to write a tribute to his work and the influence it has had on my own theorising in regard to autistic ways of being. This reflection utilises the concept of an ‘aut-ethnography’ to examine passages that I had highlighted word by word when I first read Pirsig’s book: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. These fragments contain links to a number of theoretical ‘lines of flight’ within my own work and that of others, from his concepts of dynamic ‘quality’ to his discussion on the tension between scientific method and lived experience.

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Cited references
14
Total cited references integrated for this publication.
Cited references with an identified autistic author
5 / 14 (35.7%)
Cited author occurrences identified as autistic
7 / 19 (36.8%)
Among occurrences linked to AutiHub author records: 7 / 7 (100.0%). Distinct cited authors identified as autistic: 4 / 14 (28.6%).
Cited author occurrences linked to AutiHub author records
7 / 19 (36.8%)
Distinct linked cited authors: 4 / 14 (28.6%)
Linked cited-author occurrences not identified as autistic
0 / 7 (0.0%)
Among linked cited-author occurrences only. Across all cited-author occurrences: 0 / 19 (0.0%). Distinct linked cited authors not identified as autistic: 0 / 4 (0.0%).
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