Date of Award
Fall 11-21-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D. in Religious Studies
Organizational Unit
Joint Ph.D. Program in Study of Religion, Religious Studies
First Advisor
Albert Hernandez
Second Advisor
Sarah Pessin
Third Advisor
Eric C. Smith
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
All Rights Reserved.
Keywords
Art history, Foucault, Mysticism, Queer studies, Spatial theory
Abstract
This interdisciplinary dissertation expands theories of mysticism beyond traditional religious frameworks by examining mystical experiences through the lens of marginalization, queerness, and spatial theory. Building on foundational mystical studies by William James and Martin Buber, this dissertation examines how marginalized communities—particularly those pathologized or criminalized by society—experience the mystical differently. Drawing on Michel Foucault’s concept of madness, this study reframes mysticism as mundane rather than extraordinary, questioning who gets to have mystical experiences and under what circumstances. Through Henri Lefebvre’s spatial theory and Edward Soja’s concept of thirdspace, this study establishes how space functions as more than physical location, encompassing lived and complex spatial realities. This research develops a new theoretical framework called “queer mysticospatial illuminations” (QMSIs), which explores mysticism through four key components: connection to otherness, resistance to dominant power structures, grounding in spatial reality, and illumination through new knowledge. This framework emerges from an autotheoretical methodology that combines lived experience with critical theory across various fields including queer studies, spatial theory, and power analysis. The QMSI framework is applied through a case study of artist Félix González-Torres’ three works: “Untitled (Lovers-Paris),” “Untitled (Golden),” and “Untitled (A Portrait of Ross in LA).” These artworks demonstrate how QMSIs operate within queer artistic expression, iii revealing mysticism’s potential as both resistance and transformation within marginalized experiences, ultimately contributing to a more inclusive understanding of mystical studies.
Copyright Date
11-2025
Publication Statement
Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Rights Holder
Shoshana McClarence
Provenance
Received from ProQuest
File Format
application/pdf
Language
English (eng)
Extent
177 pgs
File Size
1.3 MB
Recommended Citation
McClarence, Shoshana, "The Mystical and the Mundane: Queer Mystico-Spatial Illuminations Through the Exploration of Félix González-Torres’s Contemporary Art" (2025). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2672.
https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/2672
Included in
Classical Archaeology and Art History Commons, Other Religion Commons, Philosophy Commons, Queer Studies Commons, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons, Social Control, Law, Crime, and Deviance Commons, Sociology of Religion Commons