Reverberating Silence: The Termination of Bells and Bell Ringing as an Exercise of Political Power

Abstract

ABSTRACT The personal and community identity of many areas of greater Europe has been interwoven with religious practice, with the ringing of church bells often dictating the quotidian rhythms of life. The symbolism of churches and church bells can be likened to that of monuments, with the erection of bell towers and the installation of bells engendering certain political powers, both in the secular and sacred realm. Just as the creation of an auditory marker can be deemed a political tool, the cessation or absence of this marker can be similarly considered political in nature. This document will examine the termination of bells and bell ringing as an exercise of political power either as symbolic acts of conquest or through purely utilitarian reasons, and consider the restitution of bells as a further symbolic exercise of political power by the victors and an act of contrition by the vanquished. Finally, it will discuss how the historical imposition of the silencing of meaningful sounds may have heritage implications in the modern world.