Brought to you by Loughborough University’s Anarchism Research Group (ARG), Anarchist Essays presents leading academics, activists, and thinkers exploring themes in anarchist theory, history, and practice.
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Brought to you by Loughborough University’s Anarchism Research Group (ARG), Anarchist Essays presents leading academics, activists, and thinkers exploring themes in anarchist theory, history, and practice.
Essay #108: Steve Emery & Dai O’Brien, ‘L.A. Motler: A Deaf Anarchist’
Anarchist Essays
17 minutes
14 hours ago
Essay #108: Steve Emery & Dai O’Brien, ‘L.A. Motler: A Deaf Anarchist’
In this essay, Steve Emery and Dai O'Brien discuss the life and politics of a deaf anarchist communist, Leonard A. Motler. Steve and Dai explain his significance to both the anarchist movement in the UK as a visibly deaf signing person and to the deaf community as an openly anarchist radical. A longer version of this article appeared in Anarchist Studies 33:1 (2025). This episode is read by Isobel van Hagen.
Steve Emery is a freelance writer and researcher in the field of Deaf Studies and works as a project manager at the University of Surrey. His most recent publications are: O’Brien, D. and Emery, S. (2025). L.A. Motler: a Deaf Anarchist. Anarchist Studies 33(1) DOI:10.3898/AS.33.1.02X and Emery, S. D., and Iyer, S. (2024). Deaf Migrants in London in Kusters, AMJ, Moriarty, E, le Maire, A, Iyer, S & Emery, S (2024). Deaf Mobility Studies: Exploring International Networks, Tourism, and Migration. Washington DC: Gallaudet University Press, 91-117. DOI:10.1111/jola.70013. <https://gallaudetupress.manifoldapp.org/projects/deaf-mobility-studies>Dai O'Brien is an Associate Professor in BSL and Deaf Studies at York St John University. His most recent publications are: Sauntson, H., Cunningham, C., Ennser-Kananen, J., & O'Brien, D. (2025). Language and Social Justice: An Introduction to Linguistic Activism. Routledge. and O’Brien, D. and Emery, S. (2025). L.A. Motler: a Deaf Anarchist. Anarchist Studies 33(1) DOI:10.3898/AS.33.1.02
Isobel van Hagen is a PhD candidate in politics and philosophy at Loughborough University.
Anarchist Essays
Brought to you by Loughborough University’s Anarchism Research Group (ARG), Anarchist Essays presents leading academics, activists, and thinkers exploring themes in anarchist theory, history, and practice.
