Hearing the Voices of Deaf Culture at the 1981 Folklife Festival
The landmark event introduced many hearing visitors to the stories, poems, sign play, jokes and traditions of the deaf community
James Deutsch is a curator at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, where he has helped develop exhibitions on the Peace Corps, China and World War II, among others. In addition, he serves as an adjunct professor—teaching courses on American film history and folklore—in the American Studies Department at George Washington University.
The landmark event introduced many hearing visitors to the stories, poems, sign play, jokes and traditions of the deaf community
James DeutschDuring the years before greater openness and understanding, members of the LGBTQ community sometimes resorted to coded speech or behavior as a safeguard. Other community members could understand these codes, but not outsiders.
James DeutschThe earliest documented examples of cicada folklore come from China.
James Deutsch