"The Hoe vs. The Tractor." Discussion about Education for Deaf Children in Czechoslovakia in the Early 1950s Cover Image

„Motykou proti traktoru.“ Diskuse o vzdělávání neslyšících dětí v Československu na počátku padesátých let
"The Hoe vs. The Tractor." Discussion about Education for Deaf Children in Czechoslovakia in the Early 1950s

Author(s): Pavel Šinkovec
Subject(s): History, Education, Recent History (1900 till today), Post-War period (1950 - 1989), Inclusive Education / Inclusion
Published by: Univerzita Karlova v Praze - Filozofická fakulta, Vydavatelství
Keywords: education for the deaf; hearing impairment; activism; sign language; oral method; Stalinism

Summary/Abstract: In the early 1950s, Stalinist Czechoslovakia saw a discussion about what form education for the deaf should take in the socialist future, which was then allegedly being rapidly built. The answer to this question was not offered by official ideology or party programmes, and was therefore negotiated by a number of different actors: in addition to experts, whose involvement is not surprising, there were also those whose voices would normally not be heard — parents and the deaf themselves. Together, they raised the question of hearing impairment, its (ab)normality in socialist society and argued about the possibilities, means and indeed the need to “correct” it.

  • Issue Year: 2023
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 9-39
  • Page Count: 30
  • Language: Czech