Being deaf and indigenous in a higher-level course: discursive practices of audism and racism in debate

Abstract

This article aims to examine the discursive possibilities found in comments on a Facebook post shared by the Portal R7 - originally published by the Só Notícia Boa website - regarding the graduation of a Deaf Indigenous student from the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS). Based on the collection and categorization of these comments, two distinct frameworks were developed: the first encompassed racist discourses involving discriminatory practices against the student due to his Indigenous identity; the second covered comments related to audism, a form of oppression against Deaf bodies. The theoretical framework for discussing this event draws upon the concepts of "norm" (Michel Foucault), "arts of judging" (François Ewald), "audism" (Tom Humphries), and "de-Indianization" (Guillermo Bonfil-Batalla). The results indicate that these comments seek to legitimize certain assertions: i) disregarding the achievements of Deaf bodies; ii) undermining Indigenous identity; and iii) questioning the reality of deafness and the conditions where Deaf and Indigenous cultures intersect.