The Spectre of Abnormality: Deaf Education and the Poetics of Contestation at the Turn of the Twentieth Century

Abstract When, during the Revolution, French government committed to supporting education of Deaf people, they left it teachers determine methods and contents this education. Less than a century later, Ministry Interior third Republic reformed teaching in use most institutions direction pure speech. This moment coincided with development new categories classify children relation educational project, especially ‘backward’ ‘abnormal’ at turn twentieth-century. While writers did not oppose speech, soon questioned legitimacy reform, exposed threats posed for pupils. In addition examining stakes impacts political decision, paper will analyze poetics contestation throughout writing, as manifested adoption variety rhetorical strategies, ranging from irony critical analysis, rewriting category abnormality. article show how these years struggle were also emancipation, insofar acquisition language became poetical act.