Home, Physical Disability and Sense of Belonging in Nina Raine’s Tribes

Year 2023, , 43 - 56, 27.12.2023

Nurten Çelik

https://doi.org/10.21497/sefad.1407706

Abstract

Home has traditionally been perceived as a location that provides control, freedom of self-expression, and psychological, social, and physical security. However, the presence and development of physical impairment subvert the positive aspects and conventional conceptions of home. Any corporeal attributes that challenge the culturally assumed views of the disabled body are rarely or never recognized as a part of domestic life. Home transforms into a site of oppression and discrimination as the denial of impairment in the sphere of the home leads to psychological and emotional disturbance and the distortion of a sense of belonging. One contemporary play that explores the complicated relationship between impairment, home, and culture is Nina Raine’s Tribes. Tribes dramatizes the ways in which the cultural understanding and treatment of disability shape and regulate the embodied experiences of the disabled character within the confines of home. Billy’s deafness is ignored by his family members, who do not acknowledge the existence of the deaf community, sign language, and deaf culture. Additionally, Billy experiences alienation and isolation in a family that wallows in miscommunication, disagreement, misunderstanding, and lovelessness. Therefore, this essay explores how the social norms concerning the disabled body operate to determine and govern the perception and validation of hearing impairment in a home setting by focusing on the emotional aspects of an embodied life. Furthermore, it explores how the pre-established notions of the body, hierarchy, and value create feelings of alienation and a lack of belonging.

Keywords

Hearing impairment, home, sense of belonging, Nina Raine, Tribes

Nina Raine’in Kabileler Oyununda Ev, Engellilik ve Aitlik Hissi

Abstract

Geleneksel olarak, ev kontrol, kendini ifade etme özgürlüğü ve psikolojik, sosyal ve fiziksel güvenlik sağlayan bir yer olarak algılanmıştır. Bununla birlikte, fiziksel engelliliğin varlığı ve gelişimi, evin olumlu yönlerini ve geleneksel kavramlarını alt üst eder. Engelli bedenin kültürel olarak algılanışına tezatlık oluşturan herhangi bir bedensel özellik, ev yaşamının bir parçası olarak ya nadiren kabul edilir ya da asla kabul edilmez. Evde engelliliğin tanınmaması psikolojik ve duygusal rahatsızlıklara ve aidiyet duygusunun bozulmasına yol açtığından, ev bir baskı ve ayrımcılık alanına dönüşmektedir. Engellilik, kültür ve ev arasındaki karmaşık ilişkiyi irdeleyen oyunlardan birisi Nina Raine’in Kabileler oyunudur. Kabileler, engelliliğin kültürel algılanışı ve engelliliğe yaklaşımın engelli karakterin deneyimlerini şekillendirme ve düzenleme yollarını dramatize eder. Billy’nin sağırlığı, sağır topluluğunun, işaret dilinin ve sağır kültürünün varlığını tanımayan ailesi tarafından göz ardı edilir. Ayrıca Billy, iletişimsizlik, anlaşmazlık, yanlış anlaşılma ve sevgisizlik içinde debelenen bir ailede yabancılaşma ve yalnızlık yaşar. Bu nedenle, bu makale, duygusal boyutlara değinerek, ev ortamında işitme engelliliğinin algılanması ve yaklaşımını belirlemek ve yönetmek için engelli bedenle ilgili sosyal normların nasıl işlediğini göstermeyi amaçlamaktadır. Ayrıca, bu makale, benimsenen beden, hiyerarşi ve değer kavramlarının nasıl yabancılaşma ve aitlik duygusu eksikliği yarattığını incelemektedir.

Keywords

İşitme engeli, ev, aitlik hissi, Nina Raine, Kabileler

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