‘All Eyes Closed’

Eye closures in spoken Hebrew: Conversational functions and meaning semiosis

“…thinking about an answer to a question, recalling distant memories (Glenberg et al 1998;Doherty-Sneddon et al 2002;Markson and Paterson 2009;Knapp et al 2013: 301), and thinking about positive experiences and emotions (Gratiolet 1865, 217;cited in Darwin 1872cited in Darwin /1998. A similar function of EC has been observed in spiritual and religious practices that focus on detachment from worldly involvement, especially in meditation (Nash et al 2013;Mattes et al 2019). Relatedly, the portrayal of closed eyes in Eastern sacred art is frequently used as an iconographic symbol of rejecting worldly concerns and the inward withdrawal of the soul, a prevalent motif in Eastern religious traditions that engage in meditation (Fingesten 1959).…”

“…Many experimental studies have shown that gaze aversion improves performance in such tasks, arguably because gaze aversion enables one to disengage one's visual attention from irrelevant visual information, as well as to interrupt the social interaction processes involved in face-to-face communication (Glenberg et al 1998;Doherty-Sneddon et al 2002;Markson and Paterson 2009;Knapp et al 2013, 301;Vredeveldt et al 2014). In this regard, ECs can also serve as a means of concentrating focus and intensifying emotional reactions, particularly within the context of spiritual and religious rituals (Fingesten 1959;Nash et al 2013;Mattes et al 2019), contemplating positive experiences and emotions (Gratiolet 1865: 217;cited in Darwin 1872cited in Darwin /1998, or while listening to music (Lerner et al 2009).…”

Rethinking affects of care through power

“…Against this background, taking their own body and senses seriously as methodological instruments (cf. Pink 2009;Stodulka et al 2018) helps researchers study care arrangements with a focus on aff ect when aff ectivity is oft en diffi cult to articulate, and silence is as much a part of people's interactions as verbal expression is (see Mattes et al 2019).…”

Affective Trajectories: Religion and Emotion in African Cityscapes

“…Taken together, the chapters show how new conceptual perspectives can be formulated regarding the articulation of religious lives, and the ways in which they shape -and are shaped by -affect, emotion, and sentiment in urban settings in Africa and the African diaspora. Furthermore, the chapters in this book explore how experiences and practices of affect, emotion, and sentiment can be studied and represented ethnographically, as these areas of research are, by definition, difficult to access through a sole focus on language or text (Mattes, Kasmani, and Dilger 2019). In this latter regard, the scholars in this volume train attention to the ways in which affect, emotion, and sentiment are encapsulated in religious practices and materialities, as well as the various material and infrastructural forms that life in urban settings in Africa and their diasporic counterparts entails.…”