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.