معرفی
Eiko Ikegami is the Walter A. Eberstadt Professor of Sociology at The New School for Social Research. Her research focuses on neurodiversity and autistic communities in virtual worlds like Second Life. She conducted ethnographic studies examining how adults with autism navigate sensory challenges through digital platforms, emphasizing the democratization of communication in virtual spaces. Her work challenges traditional ASD research by centering adult experiences and advocating for neurodivergent perspectives.
Education: PhD in Sociology from Harvard University. Research interests include digital ethnography, disability studies, and the sociocultural dimensions of neurodiversity. She authored Hyper-World: Autistic Avatars in Virtual World and co-produced an NHK documentary on autistic avatars.
Her fieldwork involved immersive interactions with autistic individuals in both virtual and real-world settings, including collaborations with organizations like Virtual Ability Inc. Ikegami’s research highlights the transformative potential of virtual environments for marginalized groups, fostering cross-neurological dialogue and redefining societal understandings of intelligence and communication.
