Silence as politics : witness and resistance in contemplation.

This project finds its roots in the broader integration of the vita contemplativa and the vita activa, in which contemplation is understood as a spiritual practice with effects upon our political realities. In this view, contemplation and, more particularly, contemplative silence are relational, embodied acts deeply entangled with the socio-political reality in which they emerge. To that end, in this dissertation, I argue that silence functions performatively in ways analogous to and dialectically with speech. Not merely the absence of sound or speech, we convey meaning through acts of silence, which in turn affect the world in which we live. Instead of passive withdrawal, silence can be a transformative act that offers the self in openness to and for the other. I bring performativity theory in conversation with mystical and contemplative theology, drawing from the work of J.L. Austin, Haig Khatchadourian, and Judith Butler to that of Sarah Coakley, Dorothee Sölle, Meister Eckhart, and Howard Thurman. Contemplative silence thus appears not as retreat or resignation, but as a deliberate act of relational and embodied vulnerability—a radical openness to the divine Other and an embodied practice that witnesses to dignity, resists domination and cultivate solidarity.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Doctoral

Grantor

Baylor University.

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Jones, Maggi E. (Maggi Elise), 1987-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Carnes, Natalie.

• Silence.
• Contemplation.
• Resistance.
• Vulnerability.
• Mysticism.

Statement dc:rights

• Baylor University works are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. Contact libraryquestions@baylor.edu for inquiries about permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/2104/13903

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:baylor-ir.tdl.org:2104/13903