THE BATTLE OF IDEOLOGIES: A STRUGGLE FOR OWNERSHIP IN THE DEAF COMMUNITY
THE BATTLE OF IDEOLOGIES: A STRUGGLE FOR OWNERSHIP IN THE DEAF COMMUNITY
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Date
1992
Authors
Jankowski, Katherine Anne
Advisor
Klumpp, James F.
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Abstract
This dissertation examines the rhetorical process of the Deaf social
movement as it evolved from the beginnings of community conception in America
to the early 1990s. Specifically, this study employs a Foucaultian approach to
address how rhetoric shapes the empowerment of the cultural identity of the Deaf
social movement. Such a study contributes not only to our understanding of
social movements, but also how members of a movement empower themselves
through language. Although rhetorical analyses traditionally place communication
as the means, the study of the Deaf social movement further contributes to our
understanding of the phenomenon of communication because for the Deaf
community, communication is the central issue of their struggles with the
dominant society.
The rhetorical strategies of the Deaf social movement suggest a theory for
community building, especially within a multicultural vision of society, which
require three necessary attributes: creating a sense of self-worth, strengthening
the internal foundation of community building, and accessing the public sphere.