Abstract

How silence relates to politics has traditionally been connected to the dismissal of silence from politics. However, there is a growing recognition that this representation of silence as absence is harmful to our ability to think through the integral and productive role that silences play in political life. This book exchange contributes to this shift in theorising that emerges from the field of ‘silence studies’. To this end, the following exchange between Michael Freeden and Mónica Brito Vieira regarding their recent books on the politics of silence looks at how each author specifically engages with how and in what ways silence relates to politics. In bringing these authors together not only is clarity given to why silence(s) should be a research concern, but also to the issues of how and to what end silence can or should be researched.