HSE University and GES-2 to Hold Conference on Study of Deafness

Photo credit: Gleb Leonov

On May 21, HSE University’s International Laboratory for Social Integration Research, together with the GES-2 House of Culture, will organise the first International Interdisciplinary Conference ‘What Does It Mean to Be Deaf? New Challenges for the Community’. The forum dedicated to the social, cultural and linguistic foundations of the deaf community’s functioning in the country and the world is planned in offline and online formats.

Vlad Kolesnikov, convener of the conference, curator of programmes for the deaf community and accessibility for the deaf and hard of hearing at GES-2, said that GES-2 already has a permanent programme called Deaf and Voiced. The programme implements projects that are aimed at interaction between the deaf and hearing communities.

Vlad Kolesnikov

‘Deaf culture is heterogeneous; it can also include hearing people who are children of deaf adults, teachers, or simply interested specialists from various fields who are engaged in research on deafness issues,’ says Vlad Kolesnikov. He explains that it was important for GES-2 to organise this conference together with HSE University, so that ‘the conversation about deaf culture goes beyond the usual framework, because this topic is much broader than it seems at first glance.’

What does it mean for a modern person to be deaf or hard of hearing? How is their identity formed? What are their possible life trajectories? These and other questions will be discussed at the First International Interdisciplinary Conference ‘What Does It Mean to Be Deaf? New Challenges for the Community’.

The event will be attended by researchers of the deaf community and sign language, experts in the theory and practice of social integration in Russia and abroad. Among them are scientists, consultants, practitioners, students and graduate students, as well as representatives of public organisations and businesses.

The conference will also present materials prepared by the participants of the ‘Exploring the Deaf Community’ study group. The group was organised at the GES-2 House of Culture and brought together deaf young people aged 14 to 21 who, with the help of researchers, educators, historians and sociologists, studied how the identity of the community’s representatives in Russia is formed.

Registration is required to participate in the conference. The form is available (in Russian) on the website of the GES-2 House of Culture.

Nikita Bolshakov, convener of the conference, Deputy Head of HSE University’s School of Sociology, Leading Research Fellow at the International Laboratory for Social Integration Research, told the HSE News Service about the origins of the forum and why it is important to society.

Nikita Bolshakov

— How did the idea of such a conference come about?

— Forums dedicated to deafness and the deaf are held in Russia from time to time. There was a time when many specialists held conferences dedicated to sign language and deaf pedagogy, and medical congresses held regularly discuss how to ‘treat’ deafness. At the same time, there have never been any forums where the cultural and social foundations of the community’s functioning were discussed.

Last year, the GES-2 House of Culture launched a study group named ‘Exploring the Deaf Community’ that was attended by deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing young people who learn how to conduct sociological research and apply the acquired knowledge in practice. They are currently finishing their projects on sign language in online communication, sign names, and the elite of the deaf community. When reading various texts and preparing these studies, we realised that in fact Russia has a large number of people who are interested in the topic and who implement projects and do research, but do not have the opportunity to get together for an open discussion. So, we realised that it was time to create such a space for discussion, and we came to the decision that a conference would be the most appropriate format.

— What is the goal of the conference?

— We hope that the conference will become a platform where all specialists interested in the topic, both researchers and practitioners, will be able to discuss what the deaf community is today—what its cultural, social and linguistic foundations are, who is included in it and what it is bound up in. The goal of the conference is to bring these people together. Our laboratory has studied various social groups for many years, researching inclusive and exclusive processes in Russian society, and holding scientific events dedicated to this topic. We joined the preparations for the conference with great enthusiasm. One can say that our interests—the interests of the laboratory and GES-2—have overlapped. We also see our mission as popularising this field, involving people in the topics of human diversity, dignity, and inclusion. This is especially important today.

— Why do you think so?

— The deaf community is a unique example of a social group that has its own cultural traditions, linguistic norms, and social practices, while not living far away or apart. Not surprisingly, in recent years, mass culture has been paying increasing attention to this group. Suffice it to recall, for example, the films Country of the Deaf or CODA: Child of Deaf Adults. We are sure that the conference will be of interest not only to specialists deeply immersed in the topic, but also to anyone who wants to get to know this community better, and who in general is interested in modern culture in all its diversity. By the way, the question of how accurately these and other films reflect reality can also be discussed at the conference—we have a separate section dedicated to the image of the deaf in cinema.

— Who will take part in the conference?

— We invite both leading experts in the field of deaf studies in Russia and students and practitioners who implement various projects together with and for the deaf community. We also expect guests from other cities and from abroad, who will join the sections online. Of course, this includes the active participation of our laboratory staff. It is nice to see that this topic is of interest to young researchers who often take their first steps without being in any way connected with the community. By the way, the deaf community is not only deaf people. It includes the hard of hearing, and CODA (hearing children of deaf parents), as well as interpreters of the Russian sign language, and simply like-minded hearing people who know sign language and communicate with the deaf. In this regard, the deaf community is quite open, and its borders are very transparent. The conference on the topic ‘What Does It Mean to Be Deaf?’ is organised by the GES-2 House of Culture with the participation of HSE University’s International Laboratory for Social Integration Research and takes place at one of the most modern and fashionable venues in Moscow; this is further proof that the study of the deaf community is not a narrow topic for some geeks, but a promising area.