When Silence Speaks: The Politics of Sacred and Secular Resistance

Panel Proposal

In the face of political oppression, silence has emerged throughout history not merely as absence of speech, but as a powerful form of resistance. This panel aims to explore various manifestations of silent resistance across religious, secular, and artistic domains, examining how deliberate withdrawal from discourse can paradoxically serve as a profound form of political expression. From religious examples such as Christ's silence before Pilate and the testimonies of martyrs, to philosophical instances like Socrates' acceptance of his sentence, to modern-day political prisoners and dissidents who choose silence as their weapon, we seek to understand how silence functions as both a personal and political act. The panel will particularly examine artistic representations of silent resistance in literature, film, and other media, investigating how creative works have interpreted and reimagined these acts of withdrawal. Furthermore, we will explore contemporary forms of protest through withdrawal, considering how historical examples of silent resistance inform and illuminate modern practices.

We invite papers from scholars across disciplines including, but not limited to, religious studies, philosophy, political theory, literature, and art history. We are particularly interested in contributions that examine philosophical and theological interpretations of silence as resistance, as well as artistic representations that engage with this theme. Papers may address historical or contemporary examples, theoretical frameworks for understanding silent resistance, or comparative analyses across different cultural and temporal contexts.