Deafness in Swaziland: a social-cultural study of deafness at the Siteki School for the Deaf
Although the social and cultural position of deafness in Western nations is a topic which has received considerable attention, very little is known about the social experience of being deaf and living in a non-Western culture. The composition which follows derives from data which were collected o...
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| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2009
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/2429/8001 |
| Summary: | Although the social and cultural position of deafness in Western nations is a topic which
has received considerable attention, very little is known about the social experience of
being deaf and living in a non-Western culture. The composition which follows derives
from data which were collected over a ten month period and offers an interpretation of the
social experience of being deaf in the Kingdom of Swaziland. By engaging narratives,
images and discourse the composition henceforth tells a story about deafness in Swaziland
which encompasses issues having to do with the deaf community in Swaziland, the
creation of identity and the experience of personhood and liminality. From this project it
becomes known that the experience of being deaf is a social construct which cannot be
defined cross-culturally. Further, this project offers a view of deafness which describes
deaf individuals in Swaziland who exist as socially valued members of their hearing
communities. |
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