RDC 2025: On the Periphery of Attention. Interdisciplinary Conference
- Date:
- 17–
19 Oct 2025
- Age restrictions
- 12+
For inquiries, please contact us by email at rdc@ges-2.org.
To be notified when the programme is published and registration for attendance begins, leave* your contact information here.
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The conference will take place on 17–19 October 2025. It will focus on the diverse life experiences of the Deaf community members—particularly underrepresented groups that rarely receive scholarly attention: the deafblind, late-deafened individuals, hearing parents of d/Deaf children, and others. This discussion originated from the dialogue about the identity of people with cochlear implants, which concluded the previous forum.
Illustration: Ivan Dneprov, Maria Vinogradova
The first and second conferences, held in 2023 and 2024, brought together researchers from dozens of countries. During this period, the event established itself as a platform for discussing cultural and linguistic characteristics of d/Deaf communities, both local and common across different regions, and demonstrated that the boundaries of the d/Deaf community are much broader than traditionally defined.
The programme for the third conference will be based on the selected papers focusing on sociological, historical, and linguistic aspects of Deaf community life in Russia and abroad. Participants may also propose topics for round tables or open discussions, or organize their own session on subjects related to theDeaf community or sign languages.
The forum will be held in person, with the option for remote participation by speakers. The working languages of the conference are Russian Sign Language, Russian, International Sign Language, and English.
We invite researchers of Deaf communities and sign language, as well as specialists in the theory and practice of social integration in Russia and abroad: scholars, consultants, practitioners, students, graduate students, representatives of cultural institutions, public organisations, and the business community.
A collection of articles will be published in the almanac “Researching the Deaf Community: 3” following the conference.
Dates
Call for papers: 1 Mar—14 May
Notification of submission results: 1–30 June, 2025
Programme publication and start of registration: 2 Sep
Conference dates: 17–19 Oct
Deadline for presentation proposals or panel suggestions: 14 May (inclusive).
How to participate
To participate as a speaker, please complete the registration form on the HSE University website.
To organise a panel on Deaf community or sign language topics, please email rdc@ges-2.org with the subject line “RDC 25,” including:
— Proposed panel topic
— Abstracts from at least three speakers representing different institutions.
To propose a round-table or open discussion topic, please email rdc@ges-2.org with the subject line “RDC 25,” including:
— Proposed format, topic and brief description
— List of potential participants (minimum three people from different institutions) who have provisionally agreed to participate.
Project team
Vlad Kolesnikov—curator of programmes for the Deaf community and accessibility for the d/Deaf and hard of hearing.
Oksana Agapova, Olga Koroleva—producers.
HSE University
Nikita Bolshakov—PhD in sociology, lecturer, deputy head of the department of sociology, head scientific associate at the International Laboratory for Social Integration Research. Curator of accessibility and inclusivity programmes at the Cryptography Museum.
Elena Yarskaya-Smirnova—doctor of sociology, professor of the Sociology department, head of the International Laboratory for Social Integration Research.
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