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Silence - Coggle Diagram
Silence
Defining
Sulzer (2021)
Discourse analysis of five English language arts teachers’ descriptions of class-
room silences
Silence is an absence of verbal participation, but it is also presence of dynamic interpretation
Student silences are not passive; they are "imbued with agency, creativity, and strategy". They can function as "shields" to protect identities from "false narratives" or as "weapons" to question and change realities, forming "critical silent literacies".
A key theme is the "silence-silencing interplay," where local instances of silence in the classroom are "entangled in systems of silencing" – the "hegemonic activity of instituting dominant cultural value systems".
Drawing inspiration from John Cage's philosophy, this article begins by positing that "There’s no such thing as silence" in an absolute sense, but rather it is "full of accidental sounds" and functions as a "site of meaning afterwards"
Silence as: 'a site of interpretation and meaning, after the fact', 'agentive responses to the oppressive forces',
It is a resource for inquiry and reflection, and importantly, "Silence is the constant accompaniment to the readily apparent sounds of the classroom," referring to what is not verbalized, explicit, or directly stated
Klambauer (2011)
This thesis explicitly focuses on the concept of silence, primarily in literature, defining it as "volitional, non-arbitrary instances of absence" that are "potentially highly signifying"
Klambauer argues that meaning in literature is created not only by what is "visible, tangible, and present on the page" but also by "empty space, blanks and absences"
Distinguishes between: iconically mirror reading (blanks signify poverty, loss, speechlessness); semantic blanks (uncertainties, void of information); aural blanks (pauses & silence in dialogue); blank page, loss, isolation)
O’Grady and Meinecke (2015)
This paper defines silence as an "almost biological entity—that speaks, grows, hurts, and conceals—despite being nothing at all"
It posits that humans, being a verbal species, are often uncomfortable with the absence of sound, making silence "the most effective means of communication" when something remains "undefined"
Aspects
Presence of Absence: Silence is metaphorically described as "the presence of that absence", specifically "the expectation hidden in the silence". It is like the "Absence saying... 'Here!'" when something should be present but is not
Psychological Phenomena: Despite its lack of sound or meaning, silence "generates psychological phenomena such as pressure, anxiety, suspicion, isolation, rejection, inner conflict, ambiguity, and agitation"
Ambiguous Language: The "language of silence is spoken by all" and is "deliberately ambiguous". It can be used "for good" (e.g., mutual understanding, diffusing emotions) or "for harm" (e.g., to injure, withhold, or hide information).
Hidden Lexicon: Silence contains "hidden terms" that are "invisibly said," such as shame, omission, and rejection, often leading to feelings of loneliness or ominous expectation.
Nonverbal Communication: Postural signals can form a "semiotics" within silence, indicating hostility, agreement, profound respect, disdain, or empathy.
Concealment: Silence "casts a shadow on the future," "acts as a lure to bring silent things to the surface," and "makes familiar things suddenly unfamiliar". It can be a "probe" used by a "hunter" to uncover information from the "hunted".
Uncanny Valley: Silence contributes to the "uncanny" feeling when perceptions are dissonant with expectations.
Di Feliciantonio & De Craene (2024)
This paper primarily conceptualises silence as an overlooked or neglected aspect within academic knowledge, specifically in the field of geographies of sexualities
The paper also notes instances where looking into silences serves as a fruitful vantage point to understand socio-geographical questions on sexuality, even when the materiality of sex is discursively absent
Mazzei (2007)
silence = absence/presence
positive, strategic, meaningful response
silence should be treated as data
"speaking without speaking"
Meyer (2016)
silence = spatial object that has multiple locations
absence is not simply absent, but can have a 'manifest presence'
necessary and dialogical relation
something produced
multiplicity of silence
'mode real' (accomplished and created) & recognised (understood)
Links with absence?
Silence as absence/presence
Silence is often framed as not the absence of everything, but the presence of something missing—a meaningful gap, omission, or withdrawal.
Mazzei (2007) calls silence an “absent presence”—something not heard or said, but still shaping what is heard and said.
O’Grady & Meinecke (2015) describe silence as “what's missing is too absent to ignore”—meaning silence calls attention to itself by making its absence felt.
Sulzer (2021) shows how silence in classrooms (e.g., when students don’t speak) is treated as data about their thinking, fear, or social navigation—thus silence becomes evidence of internal activity, not its absence.
Silence as a space of interpretation
The presence/absence link is especially important because silence is not self-evident—it demands interpretation. Fear? Irritation?
This makes silence a liminal space—a zone where presence and absence blur
Brown (2012) frames silence as something that marks what cannot be named—what is “not” but still shapes meaning (apophasis).
Sulzer (2021) and Meyer (2016) note that silence often requires others (e.g., teachers or audiences) to actively construct its meaning.
Silence as constructed presence
Meyer (2016) adds that silence is something produced—technologically, artistically, spatially—and that it can have material, sensory, and affective presence.
So, while silence may be an absence of sound, it can be a constructed presence in space, carrying affect, intention, or message.
Absence is not nothing
A shared insight is that absence itself is never truly empty:
Brown (2012) distinguishes absence from loss, and shows how “nothing” can still carry meaning (e.g., the inhuman, the unknowable).
Mazzei (2007) insists that what is not voiced may be pregnant with meaning.
Di Feliciantonio & De Craene (2024) note that even academic silences (on sex) are structural, politically loaded, and affect what is studied or ignored.
Oscillates between presence and absence
An absence that signals presence (e.g., someone not speaking speaks volumes)
A presence shaped by absence (e.g., Meyer’s “silent room” that’s full of sensation and meaning)
It doesn’t sit comfortably in either category—it’s a threshold or interface (Sulzer’s term), where presence and absence fold into each other.
Silence is not simply absence nor straightforward presence; it is a dynamic interplay of the two. It often marks what is missing, intensifies what is present, and demands interpretation. It is both relational and context-dependent, and carries meaning precisely because of its ambiguity.
Why keep silent?
Agentive response to oppressive forces
Sulzer, 2021
Resistance
Imposed silence vs. choice
Consequences of speaking/making things outspoken?
Intentionality?
When is it presence and when is it absence?