Dissertation in linguistics: Nora Duggan

The opponent is Prof. Dr. Annelies Kusters from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. Dr. Kusters is Professor in Sign Language and Intercultural Research. 

The defense is open to all. The languages in the defense will be International Sign, Swedish Sign Language and spoken English. For those that cannot make it to the defense, it is possible to watch the defense via Zoom.

Use the link https://stockholmuniversity.zoom.us/j/67545834597 or button below.

Zoom link

Summary

This thesis is part of “The Multilingual Situation of Deaf Refugees in Sweden” research project funded by the Swedish Research Council. The aim of the thesis is to explore deaf migrants’ experiences with language learning, with a particular focus on how linguistic, social and cultural factors influence their experiences. Additionally, the thesis critically questions the possibility of “full integration” for deaf migrants in Swedish society.

While it is a common phenomenon for migrants to face hurdles when they arrive in a new country, deaf migrants often face additional challenges. A contrast between deaf and hearing migrants in Sweden is that it is common for hearing migrants to learn Swedish in order to stop using interpreters while deaf migrants learn Swedish and Swedish Sign Language in order to be able to use interpreters. This places great pressure on deaf migrants, as not learning Swedish Sign Language may mean that they would have little or no access to essential services such as healthcare. Another stark contrast is that it is possible for deaf migrants to have had limited access to language in their home environment prior to coming to Sweden. These differences, among many, present formidable challenges not only for deaf migrants but also for education providers and public service providers. Considering how Sweden has placed great importance on language learning in term of integration, it is vital to have a better understanding deaf migrants’ language learning experiences and, in turn, how it affects their experiences of integration.

This dissertation, based on linguistic ethnography, includes empirical data from video recordings of participant observations and semi-structured interviews from four folk high schools. Through analyses of these data, this compilation thesis consists of four articles that explore deaf migrants' language learning experiences and how these experiences impact their integration in Swedish society. Study I highlights how language ideologies impact language use in the classrooms as well as deaf migrants’ motivation to learn Swedish Sign Language and Swedish. Study II investigates various translanguaging strategies used in classrooms and the result shows how the effectiveness of these strategies is strongly dependent on the individual's background. Study III examines the sociocultural factors that influence language use and language learning in classrooms and how communication can be affected if the factors underlying language use and language learning are not taken into account. Study IV investigates how the Swedish bureaucratic system affects deaf migrants' ability to integrate into the new society and how deaf migrants' experiences of integration conflict with the Swedish government's integration policy.

This thesis provides new insights into how deaf migrants experience learning new languages, and highlights how deaf migrants’ languaging challenges linguistic norms in Swedish society. Additionally, this thesis shows that there is a need for a transformative approach to language education that embraces different ways of languaging, and which places diversity and equity at the forefront.

Read more about MULDER on the project website