"The great strength of the book lies in the author’s lucid interweaving of linguistic analysis of the indexical connotations of Deaf Nepalis’ communicative practices with the daily manifestations of language ideologies...this book succeeds well in addressing its main audiences of students and scholars of linguistic anthropology, Nepal anthropology, and international sign language and Deaf Studies."
— HIMALAYA, the Journal of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies
"Hoffmann-Dilloway effectively outlines her arguments and nicely introduces theories of language and social categories for the introductory reader. This is a welcome addition to the anthropology of deaf people, especially those who live in the Global South."
— Sign Language Studies
"Signing and Belonging in Nepal presents an insightful examination of what deafness means in the cultural, linguistic, political, religious, geographic, and social contexts of Nepal. This book is extremely engaging and readable and presents many interesting accounts of what deafness means in Nepal."
— Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education
"Signing and Belonging in Nepal is a touching and authentic reflection on the often-unexpected nuance in the ways deaf people work within particular cultural milieus to find one another, organize, and advocate for their unique status as a community...The detailed contextualization and analysis of the sociopolitical frameworks of deafness and Nepali Sign Language presented in this book will be of great interest to scholars from an array of fields. Readers, educators, and students in medical anthropology, disabilities studies, and linguistics alike will recognize the anthropological influence in the undercurrent propelling the book: the illustration of how ethnolinguistic frameworks of deafness have different ‘meanings and consequences’ within and across cultural contexts."
— Language
"Hoffmann-Dilloway’s ethnography is an inspirational example of an ethnography of language and society that is as accessible and honest as it is illuminating. Her casual register may serve as a departure from the genre, but the aspiring readers who are its target audience will find it a welcoming introduction to linguistic anthropology."
— Himalayan Linguistics
"Hoffmann-Dilloway’s book signals the beginning of a comprehensive scholarship that focuses on deaf people, signed languages, and signing communities in contemporary Nepal through not just one lens, but several lens from different angles."
— Journal of Linguistic Anthropology
Society for Linguistic Anthropology Edward Sapir Book Prize
— SLA