This analysis is based on ethnographic and historical studies of deaf communities in France and in Quebec. From the nineteenth century until the 1970s, deaf communities and their cultural practices were largely shaped by residential schools for the deaf. These schools brought together deaf children who mostly came from hearing families, and provided them with a common living space as well as contact with deaf adults. This allowed the emergence of a common linguistic and cultural identity, that is, ways of thinking and experiencing deafness. Moving away from residential schooling has not resulted in the disappearance of « deaf territories ». Specific cultural practices remain, which maintain a distinction between « them » and « us » suggesting that networks whereby culture and identity are transmitted have been reconstructed outside of their traditional loci. Studying these networks in France and Quebec provides a better understanding of the processes at work in maintaining identities and highlights the multiple roles played by the individuals involved.