Changing concepts of culture and identity – do Deaf people still have a community?

1. Changing concepts of culture and identity – do Deaf people still have a community? Dr Breda Carty RIDBC Renwick Centre, Sydney, Australia

2. Overview • Conference theme – “Our changing community” • One thing that changes is the words we use to describe ourselves – both to each other and to the wider community • I will reflect on three of these words/ideas, and how our relationship with them may have changed: community culture identity

3. Labels… Deaf and dumb Deaf mute Afflicted Deafmutisms D&D Deaf / deaf

4. Community • All societies and communities are in a continual state of change • Many things are influencing change in the Deaf community: - Education - Technology - Hearing community attitudes - Legislation

5. Community • We often don’t realise that these changes are happening, until an event happens, e.g., Deaf View 1, Deaf View 2, Deaf View 3 • These events make us see how the community has changed • Sometimes big events strike the community and make us aware of how it has changed, e.g, earthquakes in Christchurch

6. Describing the Deaf community • Many of us started out with this old definition (Padden, 1980): A deaf community is a group of people who live in a particular location, share the common goals of its members, and in various ways, work toward achieving these goals. A deaf community may include persons who are not themselves Deaf, but who actively support the goals of the community and work with Deaf people to achieve them. (p. 92) • This became out of date a long time ago…

7. A broader description • Two British researchers (Woll & Ladd, 2003, 2011) have given a broader description of Deaf communities • They acknowledge that Deaf communities in different times and places can be different • They propose three different models of Deaf communities, based on - relative size of deaf population - attitudes to sign language use - “life choices” available to deaf people (education, socioeconomic status, etc)

8. Deaf community models • Oppositional community: small deaf population, negative attitudes to sign language, unequal life choices • Single community: more equal life choices, wider acceptance of sign language, (larger deaf population) • Integrated community: more equal life choices, more acceptance of sign language, conscious gathering of deaf people - “collective Deaf self” Woll & Ladd (2003, 2011)

9. Community • What do we value most about our community? • How can make sure our changing community keeps these things while still working towards equality? • What will the NZ Deaf community be like at Deaf View 4?

10. Culture NZ culture organisational culture school culture culture of change culture of complaint Cultural revolution Cultural Studies • ‘Culture’ has become an acceptable explanation for all kinds of group behaviours • New Guinea native, “If we didn’t have kastom, we would be just like white men.”(Kuper, p. 2) • How does this make the anthropologists feel?

11. Culture… “I don’t know how many times I’ve wished that I’d never heard the damned word.” Raymond Williams

12. Deaf Culture – challenges? • Teaching Deaf culture to hearing people can be hard! • They want ‘cultural products’: literature, art, performances, films, children’s stories • We have sometimes used ‘Deaf culture’ to explain too many behaviours • We want to teach people only the ‘nice’ things about Deaf culture! (Humphries, 2008)

13. Explaining Deaf culture The first definition… Members of the Deaf culture behave as Deaf people do, use the language of Deaf people, and share the beliefs of Deaf people toward themselves and other people who are not Deaf. (Padden, 1980, p. 93) Is this still enough?

14. Explaining Deaf culture • Padden has continued to explain Deaf culture, revising her earlier definitions • She asks: What is an “Authentic” Deaf person? Now, this means the right loyalties, rather than the right experiences (1998) • She asks: Will Deaf culture disappear? Our worries about that are part of the process of renewing culture (2005) • We need to keep asking questions about Deaf culture

15. Asking questions about Deaf culture • One key part of all definitions of culture is – it must be learnedfrom others. We are not born with culture • Challenge: neuroscience is helping us understand a lot more about the brain – some differences are biological • Sometimes deaf individuals who have never met other deaf people behave in a ‘deaf’ way – that’s not culture, it’s biology!

16. Asking questions about Deaf culture • Example: research on peripheral vision • We have always known that Deaf people have better peripheral vision, we use our eyes in different ways • Research shows that ALL deaf people (even those who do not mix with other deaf people) use their peripheral vision in different ways • This is a biological adaption • But we add cultural adaptions to it

17. Can culture be “good” or “bad”? • We use the term “Deaf culture” in very positive ways • But culture can be a problem • Groups can use culture to avoid change • Beliefs and attitudes can cause inequality and oppression • Example: In South Africa, cultural theories were used to support Apartheid policy

18. Can culture be“good” or “bad”? • “Deafhood” (Ladd, 2003) is a new way to describe the process of realising our full Deaf potential • Ladd says that sometimes Deaf culture can make this more difficult… the attitudes of other Deaf people can limit us • Deaf culture can allow others to stereotype us – “Deaf people are always late”, “Deaf people are black and white in their thinking”, etc

19. Culture • Culture is not fixed – it changes as our community changes • We need to keep talking and thinking about culture

20. Identity Is there only one way to be Deaf? (or deaf?)

21. “People have multiple identities, depending on their environment and what is most salient [important] at any given point in time.” (Leigh, 2008, p. 21)

22. Multiple identities • Part of identity development – deciding who we are • We can feel conflict between different aspects of our identities, but we learn to accept them • Research on Māori Deaf people – most valued both identities highly • They did not want to choose one : ‘…you can‘t split me in half.’(Smiler & McKee, 2007)

23. Identity and well-being • Deaf Acculturation Scale (Maxwell-McCaw, 2001) 1. Hearing acculturated 2. Marginal 3. Deaf acculturated 4. Bicultural • McCaw also tested her subjects for psychological well-being

24. Identity and well-being • Deaf Acculturation Scale (Maxwell-McCaw, 2001) 1. Hearing acculturated  2. Marginal  3. Deaf acculturated  4. Bicultural  • McCaw also tested her subjects for psychological well-being

25. “In essence, being comfortable as a Deaf person and the ability to comfortably switch between Deaf and hearing cultures are conducive to psychological well-being.” (Leigh, 2009)

26. Identity • How can we make it easier for young deaf children to develop a comfortable Deaf identity? - lots of stories about deaf/Deaf people (written and on film/TV) - examples of Deaf people moving between multiple identities (e.g., Māori, Deaf, teacher, etc) - opportunities to experiment, play with identity, discuss how it works - support when it gets hard

28. Community, culture, identity • …still important ways to describe Deaf people as a group • We need to keep renewing our understanding of these concepts • Gathering like this are an important opportunity to do so!

29. Contact details Dr Breda Carty RIDBC Renwick Centre breda.carty@ridbc.org.au