Transnationalism

Transnationalism is a concept that has been used to describe relationships of and connections among people that transcend national borders. It has been used increasingly over the past two decades as a theory both in academic studies of deaf people and their lives and by deaf people themselves in deaf social and political contexts. The theory of transnationalism recognizes that the borders set by the nation-state are insufficient to understanding and conceptualizing the experiences of deaf people living in each country. Deaf people’s sense of orientation, belonging, and social activities may be equally or more directed toward deaf or hearing people who use sign language in other countries. Hence, there is a need to go beyond territorial and national borders in order to study deaf ...