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Cultural Front
Deaf Subjects: Between Identities and Places
In this probing exploration of what it means to be deaf, Brenda Brueggemann goes beyond any simple notion of identity politics to explore the very nature of identity itself. Looking at a variety of cultural texts, she brings her fascination with borders and between-places to expose and enrich our understanding of how deafness embodies itself in the world, in the visual, and in language.
Taking on the creation of the modern deaf subject, Brueggemann ranges from the intersections of gender and deafness in the work of photographers Mary and Frances Allen at the turn of the last century, to the state of the field of Deaf Studies at the beginning of our new century. She explores the power and potential of American Sign Language—wedged, as she sees it, between letter-bound language and visual ways of learning—and argues for a rhetorical approach and digital future for ASL literature.
The narration of deaf lives through writing becomes a pivot around which to imagine how digital media and documentary can be used to convey deaf life stories. Finally, she expands our notion of diversity within the deaf identity itself, takes on the complex relationship between deaf and hearing people, and offers compelling illustrations of the intertwined, and sometimes knotted, nature of individual and collective identities within Deaf culture.
Taking on the creation of the modern deaf subject, Brueggemann ranges from the intersections of gender and deafness in the work of photographers Mary and Frances Allen at the turn of the last century, to the state of the field of Deaf Studies at the beginning of our new century. She explores the power and potential of American Sign Language—wedged, as she sees it, between letter-bound language and visual ways of learning—and argues for a rhetorical approach and digital future for ASL literature.
The narration of deaf lives through writing becomes a pivot around which to imagine how digital media and documentary can be used to convey deaf life stories. Finally, she expands our notion of diversity within the deaf identity itself, takes on the complex relationship between deaf and hearing people, and offers compelling illustrations of the intertwined, and sometimes knotted, nature of individual and collective identities within Deaf culture.
224 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 5, 2025
Essential reading for anyone wanting to understand what it means to be situated in the space (between) Deaf and hearing - and to understand the complexities and richness of deaf identities, Deafness, ASL, writing, rhetoric, language. This book has transformed my own identity as a deaf woman and has lead me to further university study into (my own and others’) understanding of deaf identity. Brilliant.
April 11, 2026
This book is a very great book for learning more about what it is like to be deaf.
This book is a very great book for learning more about what it is like to be deaf. I highly recommend it.
This book is a very great book for learning more about what it is like to be deaf. I highly recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews