Dr Dai O'Brien

Teaching

I lead modules on all aspects of Deaf Studies, including Deaf History, Deaf Culture, Deaf Social Theory, and Sociolinguistics of British Sign Language. I teach on British Sign Language modules, and have also taught on Language and Society and Society and Space.

Research

My research interests are broadly in the field of Deaf Studies, particularly in deaf space – how deaf people navigate a world which was not designed for them, and creatively subvert the spaces they inhabit. My research has focused on deaf young people’s experiences of transition to adulthood, how deaf communities have responded to the loss of their community spaces, how deaf academics ‘fit’ (or don’t) into the field of higher education, and more recently on deaf people’s experiences in radical left politics.

I am interested in supervising research on all aspects of Deaf Studies, but in particular:

• Deaf politics,
• Deaf space/deaf geographies,
• Research which utilizes creative or collaborative methods,
• Research which utilizes Bourdieusian theory.

Publications

Publications

Sauntson, H., Cunningham, C., Ennser-Kananen, J. and O’Brien, D. (in press) Language and Social Justice: An Introduction to Linguistic Activism. Abingdon: Taylor and Francis.

O’Brien, D. (in press) Deaf academics in the university in the UK. In Cerda, Y. and Winchester, J. (Eds) Language and Identity in the University: Exploring marginality and liminality in Higher Education. Exeter: University of Exeter Press.

Amm, R. and O’Brien, D. (in press) Disability and Anarchism. In Levy, C. and Adams, M. (Eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Anarchism. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Emery, S. and O’Brien, D. (in press) L.A. Motler: a deaf anarchist. Anarchist Studies

O’Brien, D., Hodge, G., Gulamani, S., Rowley, K., Adam, R., Emery, S. and Walker, J. (2023) Deaf academics’ perceptions of ‘trust’ in relationships with signed language interpreters. Translation & Interpreting Vol. 15 No. 2

Skyer, M., Scott, J.A. and O’Brien, D. (2023) <O/ No Power but Deaf Power \O>: Revitalizing Deaf Education Systems via Anarchism. Social Inclusion 11(2) 159-172.

Chua, M., De Meulder, M., Geer, L., Henner, J., Hou, L., Kubus, O., O’Brien, D., & Robinson, O. (2022) 1001 Small Victories: Deaf Academics and Impostor Syndrome. In M. Addison, Y. Taylor and M. Breeze (Eds) The Palgrave Handbook of 'Imposter Syndrome' in Higher Education. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

O’Brien, D. (2021) Theorising the deaf body: using Lefebvre and Bourdieu to understand deaf spatial experience. Cultural Geographies, 28(4), 645-660.

O’Brien, D. (2021) Bourdieu, plurilingualism and sign languages in the UK. In K. Snodden and J. Weber (Eds) Critical Perspectives on Plurilingualism. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.

Crawley, V. and O’Brien, D. (2020) Multilingual and multicultural supervision meetings: the case of a deaf supervisor and hearing postgraduate researcher.Learner Development Journal 4.

O’Brien, D. (2020) Mapping deaf academic spaces. Higher Education 80, 739–755

O’Brien, D. (2020) Negotiating academic environments: using Lefebvre to conceptualise deaf spaces and disabling/enabling environments. Journal of Cultural Geography 37 (1) 26-45

O’Brien, D. (2018) Auto-driven photo-elicitation interviews with young Deaf people. In D. Boucher (ed) Participant Empowerment through Photo Elicitation in Ethnographic Education Research: Research and Approaches. New York: Springer.

O'Brien, D., Stead, L., and Nourse, N. (2017) Bristol Deaf Memories: archives, nostalgia and the loss of community space in the deaf community in Bristol. Social and Cultural Geography. 20, 899–917

O’Brien, D. (2017) Deaf-led Deaf Studies: using Kaupapa Māori principles to guide the development of Deaf research practices. In Kusters, A., De Mulder, M. and O’Brien, D. (Eds) Innovations in Deaf Studies: the role of deaf scholars. London: Oxford University Press.

O’Brien, D. and Kusters, K. (2017) Visual methods in Deaf Studies: using photography and filmmaking in research with deaf people. In Kusters, A., De Mulder, M. and O’Brien, D. (Eds) Innovations in Deaf Studies: the role of deaf scholars. London: Oxford University Press.

Kusters, A., De Mulder, M. and O’Brien, D. (2017) Innovations in Deaf Studies: Critically mapping the field. In Kusters, A., De Mulder, M. and O’Brien, D. (Eds) Innovations in Deaf Studies: the role of deaf scholars. London: Oxford University Press.

Kusters, A. and O’Brien, D. (2016) Book review: Approaches to Social Research: the Case of Deaf Studies. Qualitative Research 16(6) 752-754.

Hall, C. J., O’Brien, D. and the LIdIA Policy Forum (2015). Making higher education more Deaf-friendly. LIdIA Position Statement and Position Paper 01. York: York St John University. Available online at: www.yorksj.ac.uk/lidia/policy.

O’Brien, D. (2015) Transition planning for d/Deaf young people from mainstream schools: professionals’ views on the implementation of policy.  Disability and Society 30:2 pp.227-240

O’Brien, D. and Emery, S.D. (2014) The Role of the Intellectual in Minority Group Studies: Reflections on Deaf Studies in Social and Political Contexts. Qualitative Inquiry 20:1 pp.27-36.

O’Brien, D. (2013) Visual Research with Young d/Deaf people: An Investigation of the Transitional Experiences of d/Deaf Young People from Mainstream Schools using Auto-driven Photo-elicitation Interviews. Graduate Journal of Social Sciences 10(2) pp.152-175.

Conferences and workshops

Selected conference papers

“Bourdieu, Lefebvre and the bodily production of space”. British Sociological Association annual conference, April 2020.

“Imposter syndrome: a conversation”. With Octavian Robinson, Deaf Academics Conference, Reykjavík, Iceland, May 2019.

“Mapping deaf academics’ places and spaces in academia”. Deaf Academics Conference, Reykjavík, Iceland, May 2019.

“The legal recognition of signed languages – taking risks in applied linguistics”. Colloquium convenor, British Association of Applied Linguistics annual conference, September 2018.

“Using creative methods for community engagement: researching the loss and discovery of spaces in Bristol”. Invited presentation at UCLAN, November 2017.

“The spaces and places of deaf academia”. Research Reflections conference, York St John University, September 2017.

“Lost places, resilient spaces: a Deleuze-Guattarian model of the deaf community”. British Sociology Association annual conference April 2017

“Lost Spaces”.  Association of American Geographers annual conference, Chicago, USA, April 2015.

“Deaf-led Deaf studies: using Kaupapa Maori principles to guide development of Deaf research practices”. Conference presentation at Deaf Academics International conference, Leuven, Belgium, January 2015.

“Crossing Cultures: A Sociological Perspective on Deaf and Hearing Intercultural Relationships” with Nicola Nunn.  Conference presentation at Deaf Academics International conference, Leuven, Belgium, January 2015.

“Making the university inclusive for students and staff: a BSL teacher’s perspective” with Amanda Smith.  Invited keynote for Talking About Teaching conference, York St John University, January 2015.

“The role of linguistic capital in exploring Deaf people's academic experiences”.  Conference presentation at the British Sociological Society annual conference, University of Leeds, April 2014.

“Using visual research to explore the space of young d/Deaf people”.  Conference presentation at Association of American Geographers annual conference, New York, USA, February 2012.

“Combating Inequalities in Research with Young d/Deaf People: the use of Visual Methodologies”.  Conference presentation at Cardiff University Social Work Research and Practice Seminar, Cardiff, January 2012.

“Mainstream schools as a space of identity development for d/Deaf young people”.  Conference presentation at Royal Geographical Society annual conference, London, August 2011.

Workshops

“Applied Deaf Studies Think Tank”. At HU – University of Applied Sciences Utrecht. February 2020.

“Deaf Geographies Workshop”. Presenter at Heriot Watt University, May 2019.

“Methodologies workshop”. Presenter at the Institute for Advances Studies of the Humanities at the University of Edinburgh, October 2018.

“Innovations in Deaf Studies” With Kusters, A and De Mulder, M. Presenter at Max Planck Institute, Gottingen, Germany, January 2016.

“Deaf academics in Deaf Studies” Presenter at Department of ASL and Deaf Studies, Gallaudet University, USA, September 2015.

“Deaf Geographies: Deaf spaces and the methodological transformation of the academy”.  Panel member at Association of American Geographers, Chicago, USA, April 2015.

“Publish or Perish”.  Facilitator for workshop at Deaf Academics International conference, Leuven, Belgium, January 2015.

“Deaf Ethnographies”.  Panel member at Deaf Academics International conference, Leuven, Belgium, January 2015.

“Future of Deaf Academics Conference”.  Facilitator for workshop at Deaf Academics International conference, Leuven, Belgium, January 2015.

“Deaf Studies Futures”.  Facilitator for a 1 day workshop held in the University of Bristol, September 2014.

“AHRC Connected Communities Early Career Workshop”.  Participant in three-day workshop hosted by the AHRC in Cardiff, July 2014.

“Pierre Bourdieu: Key Concepts”.  Participant in two-day workshop at the University of Bristol, Bristol, September 2011.

Professional activities

I am currently a member of the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education Advisory Board.

I am a founder member and co-organiser of the Bridging the Gap conference series which seeks to build better connections between deaf communities and higher education. 

I have been a peer reviewer for several journals, including Qualitative Research Journal, Visual Anthropology Review, Deafness and Education International, among others. I have been a book peer reviewer for Gallaudet University Press and Cambridge University Press.

I have been a referee for grant applications for European Research Council, Economic and Social Research Council, Society for Research into Higher Education.