Deaf in the Time of the Cochlea

2009

The American Deaf community for several decades has been involved in sometimes complicated and often contested ways of defining what it means to be Deaf. It is our thesis that the processes of identity construction and the recent discourse of Deaf identity are not unique phenomena at all but echo the experience of other embedded cultural groups around the world, particularly those that are stressed by the assertion of hegemony over them by others. We turn to 2 particular theorists, Jose Martı ́ and W. E. B. DuBois, to help us un-derstand both the dilemmas that Deaf people face and the possible solutions that they propose. This article argues that identities are constructed not just within Deaf communities but within the social contexts in which Deaf communities are embedded. This article discusses how Deaf people’s identities are

Chronicle of Higher Education, 2007

Journal of deaf studies and deaf education, 2008

This article draws on some of the existing literature on the politics of identity and representation as related to minority group formation. It applies this to constructions of Deaf 2 identity from a cultural and linguistic perspective and contrasts this with dominant constructions of Deaf people as disabled. It highlights a number of ways in which Deaf identity differs from disabled identity, demonstrating that the cultural and linguistic construction of Deaf people is a more useful tool for analysis. It raises questions aimed to examine the discourse on deafness and seeks further debate on how best the discourse can be progressed. The article raises issues related to the use of terminology and labeling in the field of deafness. It contends that the continued use of the word deafness is unworkable and should be more widely recognized as a social construct, which has current usage beyond the paradigm in which it was originally intended. The article concludes by recognizing the importance of diversity in identity formation, while simultaneously calling for an appreciation of the need to incorporate this diversity within wider theorizing, focused on commonality and cohesion in identity as a source of collective expression and political mobilization.

This ethnographic study explores the identity development of 9 deaf participants through the narratives of their educational experiences in either mainstream or special schools for the Deaf. This exploration goes beyond a binary conceptualization of deaf identity that allows for only the medical and social models and proposes a bicultural “dialogue model.” This postmodern theoretical framework is used to examine the diversity of identities of deaf learners. The inclusion of the researcher’s own fluid cross-cultural identity as a bicultural “DeaF” participant in this study provides an auto-ethnographic gateway into exploring the lives of other deaf, Deaf, or bicultural DeaF persons. The findings suggest that deaf identity is not a static concept but a complex ongoing quest for belonging, a quest that is bound up with the acceptance of being deaf while “finding one’s voice” in a hearing-dominant society. Through the use of dialogue and narrative tools, the study challenges educators, parents, and researchers to broaden their understanding of how deaf identity, and the dignity associated with being a deaf person is constructed.

Deafness & Education International, 2007

2008

This M Ed study explores how the stories or identity narratives we tell others of our educational experiences shapes what it means to be deaf. This ethnographic study explores the identity development of nine deaf participants through their identity narratives. The inclusion of the researcher as a deaf participant in this study provides an auto- ethnographic gateway into exploring the lives of deaf/Deaf/bi-cultural DeaF persons. The current way of defining deaf persons has become inadequate for understanding how many deaf people fit into the complex modern world of multiple identities. Consequently, I proposed an alternative theoretical framework of the post-modern 'dialogue model' (Mcilroy,2007)in which the 'fluid bicultural DeaF identity' (Mcilroy, 2008) occupies this middle space between the orthodox medical 'deaf' and social 'Deaf' models of deaf identity. The findings strongly suggest that deaf identity is no longer a static concept. It is a complex ongoing quest for belonging in a hearing dominant society through the stories we tell others about ourselves. We have much to learn from the stories of deaf persons.

Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf …, 2010

The focus and concerns establishing Deaf Studies in the 1970s have rigidified into a reactive stance toward changing historical conditions and the variety of deaf lives today. This critique analyzes the theoretical foundation of this stance: a tendency to downplay established research in the field of Deaf Studies and linguistics, the employment of outdated examples of discrimination, an uncritical acceptance of Derrida's phonocentrism, flawed uses of Saussure's linguistic theory, and reliance on the limiting metaphor of colonialism. The purpose of the critique ultimately is to point Deaf Studies in a new direction. Issues with conceptualizing an expanded Deaf Studies are the focus of a companion article (this issue), “Inclusive Deaf Studies: Barriers and Pathways" -- at http://jdsde.oxfordjournals.org/content/15/1/17.full

American Annals of the Deaf, 158(5): pp. 428-438 , 2013

The authors argue that Deafhood (a term coined by Dr. Paddy Ladd) is an open-ended concept with an essentialist core. They describe how deaf people who have attended their Deafhood lectures and workshops have perceived different aspects of the Deafhood concept, and compare the basic tenets of Deafhood and criticisms on Deafhood to theories and criticisms on feminist essentialisms. The authors find that the vagueness and wideness of the Deafhood concept is one of its strengths, though they also find that it is in some respects problematic to combine and unite ontology and liberation theory in one concept. They further sug- gest that the ontological aspects of Deafhood need to be foregrounded. The question of essentialism inherent in the Deafhood concept is also briefly discussed with regard to hearing people, the use of spoken lan- guage, and the use of amplification technology and cochlear implants.

2010

This ethnographic study explores the identity development of 9 deaf participants through the narratives of their educational experiences in either mainstream or special schools for the Deaf. This exploration goes beyond a binary conceptualiza-tion of deaf identity that allows for only the medical and social models and proposes a bicultural ‘‘dialogue model.’ ’ This postmodern theoretical framework is used to examine the di-versity of identities of deaf learners. The inclusion of the researcher’s own fluid cross-cultural identity as a bicultural ‘‘DeaF’ ’ participant in this study provides an auto-ethno-graphic gateway into exploring the lives of other deaf, Deaf, or bicultural DeaF persons. The findings suggest that deaf identity is not a static concept but a complex ongoing quest for belonging, a quest that is bound up with the acceptance of being deaf while ‘‘finding one’s voice’ ’ in a hearing-dominant

2005