scholarly journals "Coming out" rhetoric in disability studies: Exploring the limits of analogy by looking at its fit with the Deaf experience

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Mauldin
Keyword(s):  
Identity Development ◽  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Sign Language ◽  
Disability Studies ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
Entry Point ◽  
Deaf Identity ◽  
Personal Histories ◽  
Culturally Deaf ◽  
Depth Interviews

This article takes as its entry point the borrowing of coming out discourse in Disability Studies. It first discusses the limits of using such analogies and then investigates its fit when considering the specificity of the Deaf experience. The research is based on five personal histories garnered through in-depth interviews with individuals primarily discussing their processes of coming to identify as Deaf, but also some discussion of coming to identify as gay/lesbian. Their stories indicate that unlike its deployment in broader disability studies, the discourse of coming out in relation to adopting a Deaf cultural identity does not resonate. Instead, the narratives show that while these Deaf individuals did use a sign for "coming out" to describe their process of identifying as gay/lesbian, they did not use it to describe their Deaf identity development. Their narratives of coming to identify as culturally Deaf instead predominantly use a phrase that can interpreted from sign language as "becoming Deaf," although some of the same processes and features of identity development are present. It concludes with a discussion of the tensions between Deaf and disability studies, the limits of analogizing disability with other categories and particularly the limits of coming out discourse regarding the Deaf experience, as well as a discussion of the universalizing view of disability studies.

scholarly journals Dealing with Cultural Identities: A Study of Nepalese Families in Tokyo

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-62
Author(s):  
Mehta Kalu Singh
Keyword(s):  
Identity Development ◽  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Asian Population ◽  
Cultural Identities ◽  
South Asian Population ◽  
Native Culture ◽  
Cultural Identity Development ◽  
Cultural Identity Formation ◽  
Depth Interviews

In recent years, the Nepalese migrant population in Japan has increased exponentially. The number reached 88,951 in 2018, becoming the largest south Asian population in Japan. This number includes people in various visa categories: skilled labor, engineer, business, dependent, student and so on. The number of school children lies somewhere around 10,000. A child born and raised in a culture different to their parents’ culture goes through a complex cultural identity formation process. In this context, this paper explores children’s cultural identity development and promotion by migrant Nepalese families in Tokyo. In particular, it examines which cultural identities they are prioritizing and how they are developing host cultural identities while maintaining their native culture. The experiences of these migrant Nepalese parents were collected through in-depth interviews with 45 parents. The responses suggest that these parents are prioritizing the promotion of a Nepalese cultural identity for their child(ren). Parents focus on promoting and participating in Nepalese festivals, cooking Nepalese food at home, and meeting other Nepalese families in Japan. However, almost every parent expressed their desire for the development of a multicultural sense in their child(ren).

scholarly journals Głusi i język migowy — spór o język i kulturę

2009 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 153-184
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Figiel
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Sign Language ◽  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Physical Disability ◽  
Spatial Language ◽  
Human Language ◽  
Linguistic Identity ◽  
Visual Spatial ◽  
Culturally Deaf

The article tries to describe phenomena that have so far largely not captured the attention of the Polish social sciences, that is the process of crystallization and manifestation of the cultural identity of the deaf. The controversies presented here concern mainly two questions. The first is whether the sign (visual-spatial) language may be treated on a par with a phonic one as another type of human language. Secondly, whether on the basis of this linguistic differentiation one can speak of the cultural and linguistic identity of the deaf. In such a case the destruction of the sense of hearing would not be treated as a physical disability, but as a characteristic of cultural otherness. Moreover, one can be culturally Deaf even if one  c a n  hear — the factors that constitute the minority Deaf Culture are above all: the use of sign language, the recognition of its primacy over the artificial systems of sign language and a phonic language as well as the protection of the cultural heritage of the Deaf in a society capable of audition where the Deaf are discriminated against and “discultured” (for example by the system of education or the imperative of curing deafness by cochlear implants).

Representation and resistance: A qualitative study of narratives of Deaf cultural identity

2021 ◽  
pp. 1354067X2199379
Author(s):  
Madeleine Chapman
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Sign Language ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Minority Studies ◽  
Creative Processes ◽  
Deaf Identity ◽  
Deaf Adults ◽  
Cultural Dialogue

This qualitative study examines narratives of identity among deaf adults in Denmark who were raised within the Bilingual–Bicultural programme of education. At a time of threat to sign language and the Deaf community, the study explores the distinctiveness of a minority cultural identity rooted in sign language and elaborated through Deaf norms and values. Applying the social psychological theories of social identity and social representations, the analysis shows that while Deaf identity is developed through and against forces of marginalisation and the medicalising system of representation that cochlear implants reify, it both celebrates Deaf culture and embraces cross-cultural dialogue and exchange. The findings run against existing models of deaf identity that posit discrete Deaf (immersive) and bicultural identities. They also disclose the importance of studies of social identity that retrieve the theory’s original emphasis on cultural systems and context to explain identities and intergroup dynamics. Finally, the study has resonances for disability and other minority studies and movements that seek to pay attention to socially creative processes of critiquing normativity and enlarging understandings of culture and identity.

Out in Time

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Perry N. Halkitis
Keyword(s):  
Identity Development ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Sexual Identity ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Coming Out ◽  
Generational Differences ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Sexual Identity Development ◽  
Three Generations ◽  
American Society

The life experiences and sexual identity development of three generations of gay men, the Stonewall, AIDS, and Queer generations, are explored. While there are generational differences in the lived experiences of young gay men shaped by the sociopolitical contexts of the historical epoch in which they emerged into adulthood, and a crisis that has come to define each generation, there also are consistencies across generations and across time in the psychological process of coming out that defines identity formation of gay men, as these individuals transition from a period of sexual identity awareness to sexual identity integration. The life experiences are also shaped by conceptions of hypermasculinity, racism and discrimination, substance use, and adventurous sexuality. Despite the many challenges that have defined the lives of gay men across time and that are informed by the homophobia of American society, the vast majority of the population also has demonstrated resilience and fortitude in achieving both pride and dignity. These ideas are explored through the life narratives of fifteen diverse gay men, across the three generations.

Education as Healing: How Urban Aboriginal Men Described Post-Secondary Schooling as Decolonising

2005 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 123-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Paul Restoule
Keyword(s):  
Identity Development ◽  
Cultural Identity ◽  
School Experiences ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
Secondary Schooling ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Aboriginal Students ◽  
Language Courses ◽  
Cultural Identity Development

AbstractThis paper relates findings from learning circles held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with urban Aboriginal men. The purpose of the circles was to determine how an Aboriginal cultural identity is formed in urban spaces. Education settings were mentioned by the research participants as a significant contribution to their cultural identity development. Participants described elementary and secondary school experiences as lacking in Aboriginal inclusion at best or as racist. In contrast to these earlier experiences, participants described their post-secondary education as enabling them to work on healing or decolonising themselves. Specific strategies for universities to contribute to individual decolonising journeys are mentioned. A university that contributes to decolonising and healing must provide space for Aboriginal students where they feel culturally safe. The students must have access to cultural knowledge and its keepers, such as elders. Their teachers must offer Indigenous course content and demonstrate respect and love for their students. Courses must be seen to be relevant to Indigenous people in their decolonising process and use teaching styles that include humour and engender a spirit of community in the classroom. In particular, Indigenous language courses are important to Aboriginal students.

scholarly journals Affect, Empowerment and the Complexities of Belonging: Cultivating a Humanistic Atmosphere in the ESL Classroom

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Momoye Sugiman
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Second Language Learning ◽  
Publicly Funded ◽  
Esl Teachers ◽  
Esl Programs ◽  
Esl Learners ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Esl Classroom

In this paper, I focus on the affective atmosphere of the Adult English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom. I argue that a humanistic learning approach can be a form of strategic resistance against the bureaucratization and standardization of publicly funded ESL programs for adult newcomers in Canada. Given the growing, top-down trend in our economically driven and technologically dependent society, there is a need to humanize the Canadian ESL classroom as a space for empathy and critical thinking. Through a literature review and semi-structured, in-depth interviews with former ESL learners and former ESL teachers, this paper reveals the psychological and political complexities of second language learning and cultural identity, as well as the pivotal role that an ESL teacher can play during the first few years of settlement. In this context, I also critique the racialized linguistic hierarchy embedded in Canada’s multiculturalism policy and exclusionary immigration and language policies.

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