In this seminar Lia Kent explores the productive power of missing and disappeared bodies in the aftermath of mass violence. Drawing on ongoing ethnographic research in Timor-Leste and Sri Lanka, Lia examines how such bodies possess a ‘liminal’ or in-between status that is profoundly unsettling. The missing, who remain trapped in a realm between life and death, neither present nor fully absent, seem to possess an affective force that activates diverse social and political practices that seek to resolve their liminal status (Huttunen 2016). Lia examines how the missing trigger diverse stories and practices that complicate attempts by states and other political actors to ‘fix’ their meanings and identities. Lia considers the implications of these findings for peacebuilding.

About the speaker

Lia Kent is an ARC Future Fellow /Associate Professor in RegNet, ANU. Her current work examines the social and political practices activated by missing persons in Timor-Leste and Sri Lanka and their implications for peacebuilding. Lia has published widely on the themes of peacebuilding, transitional justice, the politics of the dead, and state formation. Her latest book is The unruly dead: spirits, memory and state formation in Timor-Leste (University of Wisconsin Press, 2024).

COVID protocols

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This seminar presentation is a dual-delivery event. Registration is only required for Zoom attendance; registration for in-person attendance is not required as neither the ANU nor ACT Health conduct contact tracing any longer.

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Image credit: Image of woman grieving at memorial wall of missing persons in Sri Lanka, by citizen journalists Vikalpa, Maatram and Groundviews, used under CC BY 2.0 license.