Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Ana Teixeira Pinto

Thesis: The absence-wound: Bucolic mannerisms or the aftermath of affection?

July 2025

Abstract

The absence-wound probes the bond between pain, a lapse of presence, and voice, reframing it as a yielding space rather than a site of mere enduring grief. Through an interdisciplinary approach—drawing on affect theory, trauma studies, and philosophy—the work explores how the absence-wound manifests across corporeal and collective landscapes. The act of voicing, understood as both uttering and listening, becomes a conduit for transmuting invisible suffering into embodied existence, fostering ethical engagement and hope. The study challenges conventional notions of absence, proposing it as a dynamic, relational force that opens pathways for connection and meaning-making.

Centred on three key themes—the wound, the absence, and the absence-wound—the thesis weaves personal narrative with theoretical inquiry, particularly by engaging thinkers such as Arthur W. Frank, Cathy Caruth, and Jean-Paul Sartre. Storytelling, resonance, and performative gestures emerge as tools to reclaim agency and forge mutuality. Ultimately, the absence-wound posits that hope resides within the interstices of pain, where vulnerability and transformation intersect, offering a radical reimagining of healing as an ongoing, communal act.

keywords: absence, wound, resonance, voice, storytelling, not-yet, hope.

Author: Maria Miguel Pratas