Volti senza volto. Dalla damnatio memoriae alla cultura della cancellazione

The denial of the human face with all the paraphernalia of the techniques of cancella- tion, annulment and ostracization, must be fully included in the study of history of the human face. Faceless, disfigured faces and denied faces are as relevant as all the other representations of human faces. This study traces the conceptual and methodological importance of the study of a series of absences by showing the role of erasure and ostracization in the history of semiotics. The first section of this study focuses on the gnoseological role of the concept of “absence” and “void” in the history of semiotics. The second part, dwells on forgetfulness in cultural systems. The third applies this insight to the study of the erasure, disfigurement and denial of the human face by discussing damnatio memoriae as well as the contemporary “cancel culture”.