Producing intersubjectivity in silence: An ethnographic study of meditation practice
Ethnography June 1, 2010 DOI: 10.1177/1466138109339041 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Ethnography Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Practitioners of vipassana meditation in Israel and the United States |
| Duration | Two years |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 118 |
| Key findings | Argues that silence does not necessarily hinder social relations; rather, vipassana meditation, conducted in complete silence, still involves intersubjective dimensions. Proposes that covert mechanisms of silent intersubjectivity play an important role in everyday social life. |
Abstract
The ‘problem of other minds’ is central to sociological theory and of immediate importance to contemporary research on subjectivity and interiority. How do we cultivate and maintain an intersubjective space during silent, private, experiences? Drawing on Alfred Schutz’s phenomenology, this study challenges the common view which regards silence as an obstacle to social relations. The data consist of two years of participant observation of vipassana meditation practices in Israel and the United States. Vipassana meditation is conducted in complete silence, discouraging group sharing of meditation experiences, thus offering an extreme case of silence and privacy. The findings illustrate how, despite the absence of direct verbal communication, the practice of meditation still holds important intersubjective dimensions. I suggest that covert mechanisms of silent intersubjectivity play an important role in everyday social life and require further ethnographic attention.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 20
- Religious collectivities in the era of individualization Social Compass May 9, 2014
- Buddhist insight meditation ( Vipassanā ) and Jon Kabat-Zinn’s “Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction”: an example of dedifferentiation of religion and medicine? Journal of Contemporary Religion September 2, 2017
- The Sociology of Meditation The Oxford Handbook of Meditation October 4, 2019
- Mindful Apocalypse: Contemplative Anthropology Investigating Experiences of World-Loss in Deep Meditation Religions July 21, 2023
- The sounds of silence: Thai meditative practice for personal and political change American Anthropologist September 12, 2023
and 15 more in the library