A Fair Chance in the Race of Life: The Role of Gallaudet University in Deaf History [Paperback]

Brian H. Greenwald (Editor), John Vickrey Van Cleve (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 2008

Despite its prominence as a world cultural center and a locus of research on deaf culture, history, education, and language for more than 150 years, Gallaudet University has only infrequently been the focal point of historical study. Eminent historians Brian H. Greenwald and John Vickrey Van Cleve have remedied this scarcity with A Fair Chance in the Race of Life: The Role of Gallaudet University in Deaf History. In this collection, a remarkable cast of scholars examine the university and its various roles through time, many conducting new research in the Gallaudet University Archives, an unsurpassed repository of primary sources of deaf history.

Pulitzer-Prize-winning historian James M. McPherson sets the stage in his essay “A Fair Chance in the Race of Life,” President Abraham Lincoln’s statement when he chartered the first college for deaf students. The papers that follow scrutinize Gallaudet’s long domination by hearing presidents, its struggle to find a place within higher education, its easy acquiescence to racism, its relationship with the federal government, and its role in creating, shaping, and nurturing the deaf community.

These studies do more than simply illuminate the university, however. They also confront broad issues that deal with the struggles of social conformity versus cultural distinctiveness, minority cohesiveness, and gender discrimination. “Deaf” themes, such as the role of English in deaf education, audism, and the paternalism of hearing educators receive analysis as well.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Brian H. Greenwald is Associate Professor of History, Gallaudet University, Washington, DC.

John Vickrey Van Cleve is Professor Emeritus of History, Gallaudet University, Washington, DC.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Gallaudet University Press; 1st Edition edition (December 31, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563683954
• ISBN-13: 978-1563683954
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,725,339 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Especially recommended reading for anyone intrigued by the history and evolution of deaf culture, January 8, 2009

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Fair Chance in the Race of Life: The Role of Gallaudet University in Deaf History (Paperback)

Edited by historians Brian H. Greenwald and John Vickrey Van Cleve, A Fair Chance in the Race of Life: The Role of Gallaudet University in Deaf History is an anthology of essays by learned authors scrutinizing the 150+ year history of Gallaudet University, a singularly prominent institution of deaf culture and learning. Individual essays include "The Women of Kendall Green: Coeducation at Gallaudet 1860-1910", "The Struggle to Educate Black Deaf Schoolchildren in Washington, D.C.", "A Fair Chance in the Race of Life: Thoughts on the 150th Anniversary of the Founding of the Columbia Institution", and many more. A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate this amazing look at Gallaudet's contributions to history, as well as the turbulence of cultural and equality issues that affected him as surely as the rest of the nation. Especially recommended reading for anyone intrigued by the history and evolution of deaf culture.