The Paradox of International Sign
$84.26
- Paperback
364 pages
- Release Date
17 November 2026
Summary
Highly topical work raising uncomfortable questions about power, inequality, inclusion, representation and linguistic justice in contemporary global deaf spaces
International Sign (IS) is widely relied upon as a lingua franca of sign languages in international contexts, yet it remains one of the most debated and misunderstood forms of signed communication.
Through extensive multinational ethnographic fieldwork, this book explores the paradox of IS: it often wo…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781800413894 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1800413890 |
| Author: | Annelies Kusters |
| Publisher: | Multilingual Matters |
| Imprint: | Multilingual Matters |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 364 |
| Release Date: | 17 November 2026 |
| Weight: | 530g |
| Dimensions: | 20mm x 156mm x 234mm |
| Series: | Deaf Studies and Sign Linguistics |
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Critics Review
This book approaches languaging through paradox, unfolding in generative metaphors. Traversing deaf transnational worlds, it reveals communication as layered, contested, and irreducibly relational – resistant to containment, like sand slipping through a clenched fist. Attentive to the politics and ideologies of signed languages, this meticulous, data-rich, and nuanced study offers a transformative account of International Sign grounded in interdependence, creative access, and crip world-making. * Octavian Robinson, The Ohio State University, USA *
A timely and compelling work, this book centres deaf perspectives to offer an illuminating account of International Sign as lived, contested, and sustained across borders. Its rich ethnography and critical insight make it essential reading for anyone interested in language, mobility, and deaf communities. * Sender Dovchin, Curtin University, Australia *
Annelies Kusters
Annelies Kusters is Professor of Sociolinguistics at Heriot-Watt University, UK. Her work explores International Sign and global deaf communication, sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology, translanguaging, transnationalism and mobility, sign language media and deaf-led research methodologies.
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