Innovations in Deaf Studies

Transcription

1 Max-Planck-Institut zur Erforschung multireligiöser und multiethnischer Gesellschaften Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity Innovations in Deaf Studies Annelies Kusters, Maartje De Meulder, Dai O Brien Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity Max-Planck-Institut zur Erforschung multireligiöser und multiethnischer Gesellschaften 1

2 Context of the book Book to be published by Oxford University Press: Innovations in Deaf Studies: The Role of Deaf Scholars Deaf Studies: the study of deaf people s communities, networks, artforms, histories, language practices, ontologies and epistemologies (although broader definition includes sign linguistics, brain research and so on) Field exists since late 1970s, mainly UK and USA Deaf Studies courses exist on BA-level (many) and MA-level (very few) also summer schools. Often in context of sign linguistics or sign language interpreting training Deaf Studies researchers work in these Deaf Studies / sign language research centres or independently NameTitle 2

3 Who are the people involved in Deaf Studies and why are they doing it? Why and how do they study the topics that they are studying? 3

4 Deaf Studies and hearing hegemony Fact: majority of Deaf Studies research is hearing-led (leadership, frameworks, methods, theory-building) Related to oppression of sign languages in deaf educational settings: generations of deaf people have obtained overall lower levels of formal education White domination unthinkable in Black studies, male domination unthinkable in Women s studies White domination in Maori Studies => one of the few indigenous groups to set up a framework for ethical research WITH their community (inspired one of the book chapters) 4

5 A history of the deaf scholar in Deaf Studies Originally: language models, research assistants, cultural guides, bridges (but there are exceptions!) Often non-academic educational/employmental history Hearing principal investigators: differences in: rates of involvement with deaf researchers and issues in deaf communities, levels of signing proficiency, attitudes towards deaf researchers and deaf communities (Baker-Schenk & Kyle 1990) 5

6 The big picture Trowler and Turner (2002) and McDermid (2009) investigated power differences and inequalities in teams of deaf and hearing teachers/researchers in the UK and US. Harris (2015) and O Brien and Emery (2013) talk about the need for deaf scholars to seize academic power and propose a number of strategies. it is vital that hearing academics face up to the context within which Deaf studies operates; that is, a sociocultural-political society in which d/deaf people do not enjoy equality (O Brien and Emery 2013) 6

7 more and more deaf scholars are in positions of researcher (rather than assistants), and thus on the same level in academic hierarchies, will contribute to redressing the abovementioned sociopolitical/hierarchical imbalances AND we believe that their involvement will further influence the course that Deaf Studies and its theoretical framing and methodology is taking And we argue: their engagement marks the start of the third wave in Deaf Studies 7

8 Key concept in the book: Deaf ontologies Deaf ontologies = deaf ways of being Oppression/inequalities AND positive experiences/community Central to many deaf people s experience: visucentrism What happens if deaf researchers engage in the study of deaf ontologies, informed by their own deaf ontologies? (the combined experience and study of being deaf ) 8

9 Questions guiding the book: What are the implications of deaf ontological positioning for the conduct of research (including 1. research methodologies and 2. theoretical framings)? What kind of innovations do deaf scholars deem necessary or desirable in the discipline of Deaf Studies? What is the role of the academy in society, and more specifially: how do deaf scholars relate to research participants and deaf communities? 9

10 The book The 15 book chapters explore the following themes: What would a deaf-led Deaf Studies look like? The future of Deaf Studies in the humanities Deaf ontologies in deaf education; theology; bioethics and deaf queers Ties between Deaf scholarship and Deaf community Positionality, reflexivity, intersectionality, ethics and language practices during ethnographic research Experiments with methodology: visual methods, autoethnography 10

11 What we are (not) doing here We are NOT Saying that hearing people cannot do Deaf Studies research Aiming to create a false dichotomy between deaf and hearing researchers in Deaf Studies Devaluing or discouraging hearing scholars contributions We are Exploring what kind of research deaf scholars produce, informed by their experience of being deaf Putting their research in the spotlight Aiming to create potential for new ways or collaboration with hearing researchers 11

12 The three waves in Deaf Studies Not: teleological Not totally separated processes or paradigms But: gradual moves 12

13 First wave of Deaf Studies 1950s and 1960s: sign language linguistics: Sign languages as equal to spoken languages From the 1970s onwards: spread of foundational concepts of Deaf culture, Deaf community, identity The cultural-linguistic model (versus the medical model; and parallel to social model) Focus during first wave of Deaf Studies: Description and validation of deaf communities and cultures (Deaf clubs and schools as central places). For example: definition of Deaf Studies in Bristol: the study of the Deaf community, their language and their culture 13

14 Limitations of this first wave terminology Persistent and often uncritical use of these founding concepts (Deaf community/culture) Result of dichotomisation deaf/hearing Deaf community / Deaf world: In the past: deaf school => deaf club => community Now: this chain has been broken (mainstreaming, outsiders ) Where are its boundaries? Who is out/in? (CODA, interpreters, parents, mainstreamed deaf, deaf blind,?) Community seemingly implies closed sphere 14

15 Deaf culture? How to distinguish deaf and hearing culture? One deaf culture in the world? Are there multiple deaf cultures? What is part of culture and what is part of embodiment? (waving, circle, noise when walking/door slamming, peripheral view, visual technology) Still not clear what deaf culture means (it s vague, we can t explain it!): is it a helpful concept for academic analysis? Does a narrow definition of deaf culture (the arts, sign language literature, theatre) work better than having it as umbrella term? (cf deaf culture festivals ) THUS: We should think about other concepts for academic analysis! 15

16 Second wave of Deaf Studies Approximately 1990s-2000s Recognition of the senses, the visual body, visual ways of being (early Deaf Studies focused on language and culture instead, and less on visual embodiment/ontology) More focus on what happens on the ground/close-up: Deaf ontologies: Being deaf: focus on experiences (Deafhood) Deaf epistemologies: ways of viewing/thinking, discourses. Broader geographical coverage (beyond USA/UK) Amplification of marginalised voices (race, gender, sexual orientation, class, non-signing deaf people) ( Open Your Eyes: Deaf Studies Talking ) 16

17 2010s -. Third wave of Deaf Studies Extension of the second wave themes: focus on deaf ontologies/epistemologies Further increase in global coverage: studies in the global South deaf sameness/differences in international contexts (book It s a Small World ) Languaging: increasing focus on language ideologies and everyday language use (not limited to national sign languages, but including gesture, International Sign, linguistic diversity) Neoliberalism: value, gain, citizenship Interventions in other disciplines (increasing numbers of Deaf Studies publications in non Deaf-Studies journals) 17

18 Third wave: some key ideas 1. Methodologies 2. Academy and community relationships 3. What is specific to deaf scholars? 18

19 Methodology Visual methods for visual people: photography and film as elicitation devices Autoethnography and dialogue as a way to bring deaf ontologies into the field The deaf white researcher in the global South: positionality 19

20 The academy and the community Sign Language Communities Terms of Reference and Kaupapa Maori research framework Harris et al.: research in the Deaf community should be by Deaf, for Deaf, and with Deaf people (does not rule out the collaborative model) research must be endorsed by deaf/sign language communities (thus a few individual deaf or hearing scholars cannot speak for entire communities), ownership of research findings should be the communities 20

21 What is specific to deaf scholars? Often personal and long-term investment in research with deaf people and in communities (before, during, after research) More likely to get linguistic/personal access to deaf discourses, understand some experiences from the inside out Deaf scholars knowledge and discourses (epistemologies) and interests are less likely to find their way into print 21

22 Contents of the book 22

23 Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity Max-Planck-Institut zur Erforschung multireligiöser und multiethnischer Gesellschaften Hermann-Föge-Weg 11, D Göttingen, Germany tel. +49/ , fax +49/