Erasure
British electronic duo
Erasure is the act of erasing or the state of being erased—the removal of something written, recorded, or otherwise present.
Beyond literal rubbing out, erasure describes the systematic removal or denial of people, histories, or identities from recognition: the erasure of Indigenous peoples from the historical narrative, cultural erasure.
This figurative sense often implies deliberate suppression or marginalization.
Act of taking away
- obliterationTotal destruction or erasure
- expungingRemoving completely from existence
- wipingRubbing to clean
- rubbing outRemoving by friction
crossing out · blotting out · whiteout · backspace · correction · redaction · striking through · undo
State of being unseen
- marginalizationRelegation to powerless periphery
- silencingStopping noise or dissent
- whitewashingConcealing unpleasant facts
- denialRefusal to accept reality
suppression · overlooking · misrepresentation · exclusion · forgotten · unacknowledged · written out · ignored
Replacing stored data
- formattingStructuring visual presentation
- degaussingNeutralizing residual magnetic fields
- shreddingCutting into thin pieces
- recoveryRegaining what was lost
undelete · corruption · bit rot · magnetic · hard drive · metadata · forensics · permanence
Reused writing surface, traces remain
- layeringForming successive strata
- ghostingAbruptly ceasing all communication
- traceMinute remnant or pursue
- residueMatter left behind
overpainting · pentimento · absence · negative space · Rauschenberg · conceptual art · mark-making · gesture
Prose reframed as verse
- blackout poetryVerse from obscured pages
- source textOrigin of quoted content
- strikingNoticeably impressive
- uncoveringRevealing something hidden
constraint · appropriation · transformation · palimpsest · revealing · concealment · white space · extracted
removal
Act of taking away
- obliterationTotal destruction or erasure
- expungingRemoving completely from existence
- wipingRubbing to clean
rubbing out · crossing out · blotting out · whiteout · backspace · correction · redaction · striking through · undo · clearing
invisibility
State of being unseen
- marginalizationRelegation to powerless periphery
- silencingStopping noise or dissent
- whitewashingConcealing unpleasant facts
denial · suppression · overlooking · misrepresentation · exclusion · forgotten · unacknowledged · written out · ignored · sidelining
overwriting
Replacing stored data
- formattingStructuring visual presentation
- degaussingNeutralizing residual magnetic fields
- shreddingCutting into thin pieces
recovery · undelete · corruption · bit rot · magnetic · hard drive · metadata · forensics · permanence · cache clearing
palimpsest
Reused writing surface, traces remain
- layeringForming successive strata
- ghostingAbruptly ceasing all communication
- traceMinute remnant or pursue
residue · overpainting · pentimento · absence · negative space · Rauschenberg · conceptual art · mark-making · gesture · revision
found poetry
Prose reframed as verse
- blackout poetryVerse from obscured pages
- source textOrigin of quoted content
- strikingNoticeably impressive
uncovering · constraint · appropriation · transformation · palimpsest · revealing · concealment · white space · extracted
- ElectropopLady Gaga, Robyn, Carly Rae Jepsen, Kylie Minogue, Pet Shop Boys
- Synth-PopDepeche Mode, New Order, Pet Shop Boys, Soft Cell, Eurythmics
- dance musicEDM, disco, techno, house, trance
- duosSonny and Cher, The Everly Brothers, Lennon and McCartney, The Righteous Brothers, Righteous Brothers
- Pop GroupsBackstreet Boys, NSYNC, Spice Girls, Destiny's Child, TLC
- EuropopABBA, Ace of Base, Aqua, Roxette, Vengaboys
Erasurepreservation
Maintaining something's condition
conservation · retention · maintenance · protection · safeguarding
Erasurerecognition
Perceiving something as known
acknowledgment · visibility · amplification · inclusion · representation
Erasureinscription
Text permanently marked
writing · creation · recording · imprinting · addition
- cultural erasureDestroying group identity markers
- memory erasureEliminating stored recollections
erase, erased, eraser, erasers, erases, erasing, erasable, erasability