About Głusza by Anna Goc | Deaf Culture Week | event

What?

Anna Goc’s reportage “Głusza” has become one of the most important books devoted to the lives of Deaf people in Poland. Rather than describing this community from the perspective of hearing people, the author gives voice to her protagonists, showcasing their daily lives, experiences, and struggles with communication, educational, and social barriers. The book also raises questions about the right to one’s own language, culture, and self-determination, encouraging readers to view deafness not through the lens of disability, but as a distinct cultural and linguistic identity.

The meeting with Anna Goc will be an opportunity to discuss the behind-the-scenes process of creating the reportage, a journalist’s responsibility for representing the experiences of minority groups, and how the book’s reception has changed since its publication. Has public awareness of Deaf culture increased in recent years? How is the language we use to talk about accessibility and diversity changing? These questions will serve as the starting point for our discussion.

Who?

Anna Goc—reporter, journalist, and editor at “Tygodnik Powszechny”; previously worked at the Kraków bureau of “Gazeta Wyborcza“. She specializes in social reporting, addressing issues of social exclusion, human rights, and the experiences of people with disabilities. She is the author of the award-winning report “Głusza,” which has become one of the most important contemporary voices on the Deaf community in Poland.

Moderator: Izabela Adamczewska—a literary scholar and media studies scholar affiliated with the University of Łódź. She works in the Department of Contemporary Journalism and Media Communication, where she conducts research on reportage, biographical writing, popular culture, and the representation of marginalized groups’ experiences in literature and the media.

For Whom?

This event is open to anyone interested in literary reportage, Deaf culture, human rights, and contemporary social journalism. It is intended for both Deaf and hearing individuals, as well as readers of nonfiction, educators, students, and anyone who wants to better understand the experiences of communities that exist at the intersection of different languages and cultures.

Why is it worth it?

The Łódź of Many Cultures Festival reminds us that getting to know another person begins with listening carefully to their story. The reportage “Głusza” has changed the way many people think about the Deaf community, giving a voice to those who for years were described mainly from an outside perspective. The meeting with Anna Goc will be an opportunity to discuss not only the book, but also the media’s responsibility for how minorities are portrayed, the importance of language, and the role of reportage in building a more open and empathetic society.

Accompanying event. Co-funded by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage as part of the “Linguistic Diversity” grant program of the Institute for Linguistic Diversity of the Republic of Poland.

Availability

The event will be interpreted from spoken language into Polish Sign Language (PJM), making it accessible to both Deaf and hearing people.

The event will take place at the Center for Dialogue in the theater and theater hall, which is equipped with an induction loop. The Center for Dialogue building is accessible to people with mobility impairments. It has wide, non-automatic entrance doors, an accessible restroom, and an elevator. The theater hall is located on the ground floor, has a ramp, and the auditorium includes spaces for people in wheelchairs. In front of the building, there is a large parking lot with marked spaces for people with disabilities. Assistance dogs and guide dogs are welcome both inside the building and in the auditorium. The building is equipped with the ToTuPoint audio navigation system. The entrance to the parking lot is on Wojska Polskiego Street. Nearby bus and tram stops include: Wojska Polskiego/Centrum Dialogu and Wojska Polskiego/Sporna.

Photos: Anna Goc, photo by Grażyna Makara, press materials.