The empty tomb, a cornerstone of Christian theology, stands as a profound symbol of absence that paradoxically births presence, loss that ignites hope, and death that yields life. The Gospel narrative poses the question, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:5), inviting reflection on how absence can provoke a transformative desire for recovery. There are other theologies of the empty tomb . Here let us refect on Jacques Lacan psychoanalytic framework and thrologize Goan-ness.
Lacan’s positions lack as the central driver of human desire, offers a lens to explore this theological motif. For Lacan, lack—whether of the lost object, the Other, or wholeness—fuels a perpetual quest to fill the void, shaping human subjectivity.
In the context of Goa, this interplay of absence and desire resonates deeply with the historical and cultural experience of Goan-ness, a form of life that emerged as a response to the emptiness imposed by colonization and continues to resist new modes of disruption, particularly those stirred by right-wing forces today.
The empty tomb in Christian theology is not merely a void but a generative space. It signifies the absence of Christ’s body, yet it heralds the resurrection—a triumph over death and a promise of new life. Theologically, the tomb’s emptiness challenges believers to confront loss without despair, to seek the living Christ in the world rather than clinging to the dead.
This absence is not passive; it is a call to action, a spur to desire the divine presence in new forms—through community, love, and justice.Lacan’s concept of lack aligns with this theological vision.
For Lacan, human desire is rooted in a fundamental absence—an unfillable void that propels individuals toward objects, relationships, or ideals that promise wholeness but never fully satisfy.
The empty tomb mirrors this lack, as the disciples’ encounter with the void of Christ’s absence drives them to seek him in the world, transforming their grief into mission. This does not mean ressurection is simply a imaginary event . It is historical as well transhistorical as it is in and beyond this life. This is why empty tomb has a deep significance. Lacanian insights can illumine this significance for us to thrologize Goan-ness.
This dynamic of loss and recovery is not merely personal but communal, shaping collective identities and aspirations.In Goa, the empty tomb’s theology finds a cultural parallel in the historical experience of colonization, where loss and absence birthed a resilient form of life known as Goan-ness.This identity, forged in resistance to the emptiness of colonial oppression, embodies a creative response to lack, much like the resurrection emerges from the tomb’s void.
Colonization of Goa, beginning in 1510, brought profound disruption setting up a process of “Lusitanization” . Yet, from this emptiness, Goan-ness emerged as a form of resistance and resurrection. Goans did not passively succumb to colonial erasure. It’s in this cauldron Goan-ness was born. One may call it “everyday resistance,” a subtle defiance of colonial hegemony.
Goan-ness therefore, is not a static identity but a dynamic response to lack. Like the empty tomb, the cultural void left by colonization became a space of possibility. Goans reclaimed agency through hybrid identities, blending East and West to forge a unique culture.
This Goan-ness, born of resistance, mirrors the theological movement from the empty tomb to resurrection. Just as the tomb’s absence spurred the disciples to encounter, experience and then proclaim the risen Christ, the cultural losses of colonization drove Goans to create a vibrant, hybrid identity that affirmed their agency and hope.
Today, Goa faces new forms of emptiness, stirred by right-wing forces that threaten its pluralistic ethos. Hindu nationalist narratives, often propagated by groups like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), seek to redefine Goan identity as exclusively Hindu, marginalizing the state’s Christian and Muslim communities. Such ideologies frame Goan Catholics as “lapsed Hindus” or “polluted” by colonial influence, denying their Indian-ness and rejecting the syncretic Goan-ness that defines the state. This is a new erasure in our postcolonial times.
Besides this degoanization, economic exploitation, driven by unchecked tourism and land grabs, further hollows out Goa’s cultural and environmental heritage, reducing it to a commodity.These disruptions create a contemporary emptiness—a loss of communal harmony, cultural diversity, and ecological integrity and sense of being at home in Goa.
Yet, Goan-ness, rooted in its history of resistance, offers a powerful resource to counter this void. The theology of the empty tomb illuminates how Goans can respond. As the tomb’s absence inspired hope , today’s challenges call for a renewed assertion of Goan-ness as a pluralistic, inclusive identity.
Goan-ness resists right-wing homogenization through its lived traditions of communal harmony as well their centuries old genetic ties
Besides, Goans have the challenge to understand and proclaim the decolonial status of Goan-ness.
Drawing on the “dangerous memory” of Christ’s suffering and resurrection, as articulated by theologian John Baptist Metz, Goan Christians can empathize with the “suffering Goan” without succumbing to victimhood.
This memory, rooted in the empty tomb, fuels an “after hope”—a critical, Goa-centric hope that rejects exploitative narratives and fosters solidarity. By embracing Goan-ness, communities can purify this hope, resisting right-wing divisiveness and economic neo-colonization.
The theology of the empty tomb teaches that absence is not the end but the beginning of transformation. For Lacan, lack drives desire, pushing humanity toward recovery and meaning. In Goa, the emptiness of colonization birthed Goan-ness—a resilient, syncretic identity that rose in resistance to cultural erasure.
Today, as right-wing forces and neocolonial economic exploitation threaten new forms of emptiness, Goan-ness remains a vital resource. Its pluralistic ethos, forged in the crucible of loss, offers a path to solidarity and hope.
Like the disciples who left the empty tomb to encounter, experience and proclaim the risen Christ, Goans can draw on their cultural heritage to confront contemporary disruptions. By celebrating their hybrid identity—through festivals, art, and shared resistance—Goans can embody a living resurrection, transforming lack into a vibrant affirmation of life.
In this way, Goan-ness not only answers the question, “Why seek the living among the dead?” but also declares that the living are found in the collective hope and defiance of a people who refuse to be emptied.
