Women Choosing Silence

<p>Silence is long-established as a spiritual discipline amongst people of faith. However its examination tends to focus on depictions within texts emerging from religious life and the development of its practices. Latterly feminist theologians have also highlighted the silencing of women within Christian history. Consequently silence is often portrayed as a solitary discipline based in norms of male monastic experience or a tool of women’s subjugation. In contrast this book investigates chosen practices of silence in the lives of Christian women today evidencing its potential for enabling profound relationality and empowerment within their spiritual journeys.</p><p></p><p>Opening with an exploration of Christianity’s reclamation of practices of silence in the twentieth century this contemporary ethnographic study engages with wider academic conversations about silence. Its substantive theological and empirical exploration of women’s practices of silence demonstrates that for some silence-based prayer is a valued space for encounter and transformation in relationships with God with themselves and with others. Utilising a methodology that proposes focusing on silence throughout the qualitative research process this study also illustrates a new model for depicting relational change. Finally the book urges practical and feminist theologians to re-examine silence’s potential for facilitating the development of more authentic and responsible relationality within people’s lives.</p><p></p><p>This is a unique study that provides new perspectives on practices of silence within Christianity particularly amongst women. It will therefore be of significant interest to academics practitioners and students in theology and religious studies with a focus on contemporary religion spirituality feminism gender and research methods.</p>