"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin": the transnational lives of deaf Americans, 1870 ...

288 Pages·2011·1.21 MB·English

University of Iowa
Iowa Research Online
Teses and Dissertations
2007
"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin":
the transnational lives of deaf Americans,
1870-1924
Joseph John Murray
University of Iowa
Recommended Citation
Murray, Joseph John. ""One touch of nature makes the whole world kin": the transnational lives of deaf Americans, 1870-1924."
dissertation, University of Iowa, 2007.
htp://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/132.
Tis dissertation is available at Iowa Research Online: htp://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/132
“ONE TOUCH OF NATURE MAKES THE WHOLE WORLD KIN”: THE
TRANSNATIONAL LIVES OF DEAF AMERICANS, 1870-1924.
by
Joseph John Murray
An Abstract
Of a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the Doctor of
Philosophy degree in History
in the Graduate College of
The University of Iowa
December 2007
Thesis Supervisor: Associate Professor Douglas C. Baynton
ABSTRACT
This dissertation studies the transnational lives of Deaf Americans between 1870
and 1924. Deaf Americans of the time articulated a discourse of co-equality, seeking to
participate in society as Deaf— and as deaf— people. Through participation in a
transnational Deaf public sphere, Deaf people in the United States and Europe could
exchange ideas on how to live in larger society.

Abstract Approved: ____________________________________
Thesis Supervisor
____________________________________
Title and Department
____________________________________
Date
“ONE TOUCH OF NATURE MAKES THE WHOLE WORLD KIN”: THE
TRANSNATIONAL LIVES OF DEAF AMERICANS, 1870-1924.
by
Joseph John Murray
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the Doctor of
Philosophy degree in History
in the Graduate College of
The University of Iowa
December 2007
Thesis Supervisor: Associate Professor Douglas C. Baynton
Copyright by
JOSEPH JOHN MURRAY
2007
All Rights Reserved
Graduate College
The University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL
_______________________
PH.D. THESIS
_______________
This is to certify that the Ph.D. thesis of
Joseph John Murray
has been approved by the Examining Committee
for the thesis requirement for the Doctor of Philosophy
degree in History at the December 2007 graduation.
Thesis Committee: ___________________________________
Douglas C. Baynton, Thesis Supervisor
___________________________________
Linda Kerber
___________________________________
Paul Greenough
___________________________________
Shelton Stromquist
___________________________________
Laura Graham
To Claudia
ii
When our ship reached Liverpool this morning and from her deck were seen several of
your number conversing in the crowd that stood upon those wonderful docks, it recalled
that line of your greatest poet which says “One touch of nature makes the whole world
kin;” for though you dwell here upon an island and we upon a continent beyond the seas,
yet in all essentials our experiences are probably the same. If you have troubles we can
sympathize with you, for we have the same troubles; or if you have joys, those joys are
ours, and we rejoice with you.
Amos Draper
Annual Report of the Columbia Institution for Deaf Mutes, 1889
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This dissertation was transnational in the creation. For this, I have a number of
people to thank. The history of Deaf communities worldwide is still largely unexplored
by academic historians and I have been fortunate to be able to tap into a network of
community historians around Europe who shared their knowledge of the histories of their
national Deaf communities. Thanks to Peter Brown, David Breslin, Jon Martin Brauti,
Bernard LeMarie, Jochen Muhs, Peter Niemelä, and Thomas Worseck. The ideas
contained in this dissertation formed the background to talks given at workshops and
conferences on four continents. I am grateful for the comments and feedback I received
from audience members and colleagues—Deaf and hearing, academics and laypersons—
which gave me fresh perspective on my work as I wrote.
I have been fortunate to be a member of the community of historians at the
University of Iowa. My dissertation chair, Douglas Baynton, offered me a warm
welcome into this community, treating me as a close colleague as our relationship
developed over the years. Our many stimulating conversations and e-mails ranged far
outside the topic of this dissertation. His astute comments, scholarly rigor, and
comprehensive knowledge of Deaf and disability history make me proud to call him an
intellectual mentor. This dissertation would have been very different without his
guidance. I was also fortunate to have Linda Kerber as a dedicated second reader. She
offered detailed comments from the beginning to the end of this dissertation. Linda
Kerber’s feedback was consistently on the mark, but also equally encouraging: she
always made sure to buoy me enough so I could hurdle over the bar she had raised.
Linda’s mentorship went beyond this dissertation. From her, I have learned—and am
still learning— much about being a professional historian and the profession of history.
Doug and Linda have showed me how well the past is served by a writer’s skills, and I
have been fortunate to have such remarkable writers as role models and critics. My
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interest in transnationalism took an academic turn thanks to several Crossing Borders
seminars led by Paul Greenough early in my graduate career. Paul has the ability to pose
wonderfully phrased questions that unsettle preconceptions and spur further reflection.
His questions greatly aided my thinking on transnational interactions. I also thank Laura
Graham for reading my dissertation and serving as the outside reader on my committee.
A courteous, dedicated scholar, Shelton Stromquist graciously stepped in when another
member of this committee, Ken Cmiel, passed away. Ken had a remarkable rapport with
his graduate students and his passion for shaping a more humane world remains a model
for us all. He is missed.
I received several fellowships and grants during my graduate career. Chief
among these was the five-year Iowa Presidential Graduate Fellow Award. I was also the
recipient of the Louis Peltzer Dissertation Fellowship in 2005-2006, the T. Anne Cleary
International Dissertation Research Fellowship in 2004-2005, the Burke Fellowship
awarded by the University of Iowa Department of History in 2004-2005, and the Stanley
Graduate Research Fellowship for Research Abroad in 2001. Thanks also to the Ål
folkehøyskole and Døves Media, who gave me an office (and the perks which went with
it) to use when writing this dissertation. Parts of Chapter Four appeared as an article
titled “True Love and Sympathy: The Deaf-Deaf Marriages Debate in Transatlantic
Perspective,” in Genetics, Disability, and Deafness ed. John Vickrey Van Cleve,
Washington, D.C.: Gallaudet University Press, 2004.
The challenges of writing this dissertation in a small village in the mountains of
central Norway was greatly eased by the efficient and professional work of the librarians
at the Ål Public Library, who brought in numerous books from university libraries around
Norway on inter-library loan. On my trips to the Gallaudet University Archives,
archivists Mike Olsen and Ulf Hedberg were invaluable guides to the archives’ treasures
and I always look forward to our conversations on Deaf History. Gary Wait, archivist at
the American School for the Deaf, is performing a valuable service to American history
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