Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education Advance Access published online on July 16, 2008
The Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, doi:10.1093/deafed/enn028
An Eye-Widening Experience
Review of: Bauman, H-Dirksen, Ed. (2008). Open Your Eyes: Deaf Studies Talking. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press. Paper. 349 pages. $24.95
Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, School Psychology and Deaf Studies California State University—Sacramento
Review of: H-Dirksen Bauman, Ed. (2008). Open Your Eyes: Deaf Studies Talking. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press. Paper. 349 pages. $24.95.
Open Your Eyes (OYE) is amazingly cohesive in the ways the essays foreshadow and postilluminate (to coin a phrase) issues raised by the others despite the diverse nature of the authors and their essays. Throughout, several primary themes emerge such as the need for Deaf studies as a field to expand and develop a uniquely Deaf "theory", Deafhood and Deaf identity, Deaf spaces, and the issues of Deaf as disability and audism.
Humphries opens with an outline of the origins and history of the Deaf studies field, pointing out some issues that were unable to be addressed then but which still resonate today. This historical discussion yields valuable insights to those of us who were not yet born, too young, or had not yet been enculturated into Deaf culture at the time. This brings us to Bechter, who reframes Deaf culture as a "convert" culture that utilizes certain rhetorical and narrative genres to foster a "conversion" process. Bechter's suggestion that Deaf studies itself needs to expand as a discipline is echoed by Kelly (on Deaf women's history), Bienvenu (Deaf and gay identities), and Dunn (addressing audism and Deaf education through the lenses of racism and ethnocentrism). Hoffmeister adds another dimension in his powerful description of CODA identity as a Deaf identity, potentially leading to a reconceptualization of Deafhood and the Deaf community.
Ladd recapitulates his concept of Deafhood and provides some insights into how Deafhood seems to be expressed differently in the United States and Europe, leading us to wonder once again about the degree of influence of national (hearing) cultures on Deaf cultures. However, Bahan proffers a clear set of proofs for why Deaf people are not just a subset of hearing societies. In comparison, Brueggeman posits Deaf culture and identity as a set of "betweenities", which I personally disagree with, yet she manages to touch upon points raised by many of the authors in this book.
Despite exhibiting traits of peoplehood, the Deaf have lacked one important component: a "homeland." Both Murray and Padden examine the impacts of this lack on Deaf consciousness in their creation of temporary spaces as well as their search for a permanent space. Without a permanent homeland, Gertz argues, Deaf people living among the "others" will develop a pattern of "dysconscious audism." And audism, dysconscious or not, has had effects on educational and literacy practices, as Kuntze and Fleischer illustrate in their respective pieces.
Plato's Cratylus has typically been taken to show positive acceptance of signing in ancient times, yet Bauman shows that ultimately (and somewhat discouragingly) even Plato places signing in the category of "strange other." In a similar vein, Haualand examines spoken Finnish metaphors of sound and identity which subjugate Deaf ways of perceiving and learning about the world. Thus, it is no wonder that Lane, in his inimitable fashion, challenges the long-standing view of Deaf people as "disabled." Yet, Baynton raises an interesting question: Does the cultural model still serve us well? Davis responds by suggesting that ethnicity and linguistic models for Deaf culture be replaced by a "one generation" identity model. While I personally disagree with this, he does point back to the beginning: there is a need for development of a "Deaf Theory" that explains who we are and is ours alone. OYE is a thought-provoking book that Deaf Studies scholars and students should all have in their libraries.
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