IN-PERSON: Prague – Section A

Abstract

The Role of Material Culture in the Preservation of a Deaf Community – This interdisciplinary research examines a Deaf community in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, and focuses on the role of material culture in the preservation of Deaf heritage and identity in the present and for the future. Research documents the significance of Deaf spaces as well as processes of placemaking in Deaf communities (Gulliver 2008; Yoel 2022). A merging of these areas of study with material culture lends a voice to the local Deaf community, a population that is often marginalized. Gulliver (2008) notes that residential schools, “through which all Deaf children would eventually pass,” [were]…central loci” of culture (p. 92). When Deaf schools closed and an inclusive educational ideology was implemented, Deaf material culture became inaccessible. Physical spaces, like Deaf clubs, places “where people would meet… interact and pass on shared knowledge… place[s] with [their] own culture, folklore, legends, politics, philosophies and priorities,” (p. 92) are currently undergoing transformation and becoming virtual spaces, via technological innovation (e.g., live streaming, Facetime, community Facebook pages), rendering the artifacts of the Deaf community inconspicuous. This research reveals the value of the material culture of a Deaf community and its role in strengthening a region as Deaf and hearing populations are brought closer to one another and supported by cooperation and mutual understanding. References: Gulliver, M., (2008). Places of Silence. In F. Vanclay, M. Higgins & A. Blackshaw (Eds.), Making Sense of Place: Exploring the Concepts and Expressions of Place through Different Senses. The National Museum of Australia Publisher, pp. 87-94. Yoel, J. (2022). Community Placemaking in Maritime Sign Language, Sign Language Studies, Vol 22(2), pp. 263-282.