Abstract

KLEIN, Madalena  and  LUNARDI, Márcia Lise. Surdez: Um território de fronteiras. ETD [online]. 2006, vol.07, n.02, pp.14-23. ISSN 1676-2592.

This paper presents a discussion about the “centrality of culture” and its importance on the quotidian problems found by cultural groups searching for the acknowledgement of their differences. Therefore, we intend to approach the “essentiality” constitution of a deaf culture, as an attempt to move that “cultural purity” towards a hybrid territory, a territory of boundaries. For writing this paper we have made use of the work by authors who approach the field of cultural studies and of a post-structural perspective. When we set out to perceive deafness from that perspective, it is necessary to stop seeking a “cultural purity”, the “cultural essence”. We propose taking a step back from asking “what is deaf culture anyway?”, and look for possible conditions for the different shades of the deaf culture. We want to discuss the discourse of the movements of deaf communities for the acknowledgment of their differences and cultural specificities, as we consider it important to discuss them and localize them in “contested territories”, where cultures and identities are not fixed but mobile, fragmented and hybrid. We propose thinking about the issue of a deaf identity, of an essentialism or even an authenticity to be defined, so that we can think of scenarios where the deaf discourses can be carried out, and where the constitution of being deaf must be understood as a historical and cultural contingency.

Keywords : Cultural Identity; Deaf Cultures; Discourses; Deaf Movements.

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