title: Deaf in the time of the cochlea.
abstract: 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 Martí and W. E. B. DuBois, to help us understand 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.
authors.affiliation: Education Studies, University of California-San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0070, USA. thumphries@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Humphries
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Humphries
mesh_terms: D003466:Cultural Characteristics / Q000266:history; D003638:Deafness / Q000523:psychology*; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012933:Social Identification; D012944:Social Support