E-Thesis 860 views 357 downloads
Aspects of Deafness in Eighteenth-Century England / RACHEL WILKS
Swansea University Author: RACHEL WILKS
Abstract
With claims that deaf history is a suppressed part of general history, aspects of deafness in eighteenth-century England are uncovered to provide knowledge and understanding of the lives of deaf people and to shape a further understanding of disabilities in this period. Using eighteenth-century prim...
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Swansea
2022
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| Institution: | Swansea University |
| Degree level: | Master of Research |
| Degree name: | MRes |
| Supervisor: | Turner, David |
| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa59254 |
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| Abstract: |
With claims that deaf history is a suppressed part of general history, aspects of deafness in eighteenth-century England are uncovered to provide knowledge and understanding of the lives of deaf people and to shape a further understanding of disabilities in this period. Using eighteenth-century primary sources such as the British Newspapers, Historical Texts and records from the Old Bailey Proceedings, we have been able to situate deaf people in eighteenth-century English society and shed light on the attitudes towards and experiences of deaf people in medicine, law and education. Deaf people were not prevented from living their lives in a similar way to their hearing counterparts: they married, had children and retained employment. Nevertheless, they encountered a common barrier: communication. Eighteenth-century deaf people had different communication needs, were able to communicate verbally and rely on lipreading, others relied on signs and gestures, and only a limited number of people could communicate with them. The extent to which this communication barrier posed restrictions and the adjustments made included writing things down and by using gesture and home signs. The examination of deaf people in eighteenth-century medicine, law and education reveals that attitudes towards deafness differed in different aspects of life. Medicine viewed it as an illness or disorder to be cured. The legal world, however, was not consistent, differing depending on whether they had the ability to speak, or at least show understanding through other forms of communication, influencing the outcome of legal matters, particularly criminal trials. The education of deaf children, on the other hand, is not a new area of exploration, and this thesis builds upon what has already been researched and reappraises the education of deaf children before the opening of establishments that focused on them and the changing attitudes as to whether deaf children could indeed be educated. |
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| Keywords: |
Deaf, Deafness, Eighteenth-Century, Education, Law, Medicine, Deaf History, Disability History |
| College: |
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences |