It’s a small world: International deaf spaces and encounters

Abstract

This volume profiles the fascinating and, at times, controversial concept of DEAF SAME and its influence on deaf spaces locally and globally. The editors and contributors focus on national and international encounters (e.g., conferences, sporting events, arts festivals, camps) and the role of political/economic power structures on deaf lives and the creation of deaf worlds. They also consider important questions about how deaf people negotiate DEAF-SAME and deaf difference, such as differences in mobility, access to social and economic capital, ideologies, and epistemologies. The editors have organized the book into five sections-Gatherings, Language, Projects, Networks, and Visions. Taken all together, the 23 chapters in this book provide an understanding of how sameness and difference are powerful yet contested categories in deaf worlds.