‘Silence and Word’ aims to explore the relationship between silence and expression through two days of discussion on the incarnation and representation of silence in theological, philosophical, literary, and aesthetic texts.
We are interested in the multidimensional nature of silence as spiritual discipline, personal solitude, contemplative practice, attentive awareness, mindfulness, and nonaction, while also acknowledging its shadow side, such as unwanted psychological or physical isolation or the refusal to speak truth to power.
We welcome perspectives that approach silence not merely as the absence of noise but as a pathway into sacred mysteries. We will reflect on silence as a gentle distancing from the insistent clamour of modern life and as a foundation for compassionate listening, inner freedom, discernment, and self‑knowledge.
We invite proposals for 15–20 minute papers on silence in relation to theology, philosophy, literature, music, theatre, performance, or art. The deadline for proposals is 30 July 2026, and submissions should be made using the conference proposal form. Notifications of acceptance will be sent by 15 September 2026.
We welcome both general discussions and more specific case studies. Topics include (but are not limited to):
- Silence in art, poetry, narrative, theatre, cinema, dance
- Theologians on silence (for example, Hildegard of Bingen, Thomas Merton, Edith Stein, Romano Guardini, Karl Rahner, Hans Urs von Balthasar, Martin Buber, Etty Hillesum)
- Philosophers on silence (for example, Kierkegaard, Levinas, Max Picard, Wittgenstein, Simone Weil, Hannah Arendt, Sarah Coakley, Susan Sontag)
- Silence and contemplation and/or monasticism
- Silence in Graeco-Roman Antiquity
- Silence and Word in the Gospels
- Listening to silence
- Mysticism, apophasis, and the unsayable
- Ecological silence and the groaning of the earth
- Silence in the Catholic tradition
- Silence and word in interfaith dialogue
Click to submit your proposal
