Signs and Wonders: Religious Rhetoric and the Preservation of Sign Language

Signs and Wonders traces the intertwining of Protestant religion and the development of the deaf community from the nineteenth through the twenty-first century. Tracy Ann Morse draws on nineteenth-century speeches, sermons, and pamphlets; highlights the role of missionary movements in the spread of sign language; and shows how film and stage productions drew on religious themes in their portrayal of the deaf community and its struggles. The first book to take a serious look at the intersection of religion and the deaf community, Signs and Wonders breaks new ground and opens up new avenues for continuing study.