Jonathan Hsy Talk: “Deaf Gain in the Middle Ages,” 4/21 6pm

The Medieval Colloquium invites you to a talk by Prof. Jonathan Hsy (George Washington University):

Deaf Gain in the Middle Ages: Language, Cognition, Culture

Friday, April 21 at 6pm
328 Milbank Hall (Barnard campus)

“This presentation frames the long history of deafness in Western culture through recent theories of “Deaf Gain.” Interdisciplinary research in cognitive linguistics and cultural theory increasingly approaches sign language communication not as a deficiency or lack of speech but rather as a social benefit: a complex embodied modality that affords expansive perceptual awareness (visual, spatial, kinetic, affective, artistic). I consider how monastic sign lexicons and writings by deaf medieval authors theorize the benefits of non-spoken forms of communication, and I ask how medieval texts and visual art can nuance contemporary—and often politicized—framings of Deaf identity in the present.”

Dinner to follow (we will request $15 per person).
Please RSVP to [email protected] if you would like to join us for dinner.
Please feel free to email us with any questions.

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