La retórica de la alteridad en los textos de las monjas altomodernas. Caso de Teresa de Jesús María (O. C. D., 1592-1641)

The conceptual framework of the article draws on the philosophy of alterity understood as a relational one in order to rethink the mystical and theological discourses of early modern female religious authors where the alterity, considered as a concept and as an experience, is apprehended on four interrelated levels, namely: that of the representation of oneself; of the relationship with the other; of transcendence; and the one of language. In the light of these assumptions, the study analyses the selected work of Teresa de Jesús María (O. C. D., 1592-1641) in which the alterity became an effective discursive tool to endorse her theological interpretation and biblical exegesis. The article also contributes complementary unpublished documentation from the convent of the Discalced Carmelites of the Incarnation in Cuerva (Toledo).