Site member Christina Moutsou became unwell and died in December 2023. Her friend and colleague Salma Siddique, who presented a joint paper entitled Doing Anthropology in the Consulting Room with Christina at the Site conference on White Privilege, Racism and Psychoanalysis in October 2021, shares some memories of Christina in a tribute below.
In the quiet aftermath of loss, where words often falter and memories dance with the ephemeral, I try to shape a few words to capture the relationship with Christina – a guiding light, a fellow seeker of truth, and a cherished co-writer. Her unexpected departure from the physical tapestry of life leaves a void, profound in its silence, yet her voice continues to resonate within the legacy she leaves behind. We came together, both looking for a way of feeling less alone in the act of writing. Christina and I, at the cusp of a world on pause during the pandemic, our meetings in the ether – bi-weekly rituals of Skype calls – becoming anchor points in a sea of changing world around us. Our dialogue, a bridge between anthropology and psychoanalysis, rendered us cartographers of the human psyche, mapping the contours of understanding and emotion. Christina, with her gifted insight, had a unique propensity to entwine the threads of mythology with the fabric of psychoanalytic thought – an intellectual alchemy transforming the ancient and the modern into a tapestry rich with newfound meaning. This rare talent was a catalyst for our collaboration, a kinship of minds that yielded pathways into the depths of the soul, culminating in prolific pieces of writing that now echo as a testament to her brilliance. As her co-author, I marvelled at her ability to harness narrative potency, intertwining compassionate fictional elements with clinical realities, thus expanding the margins of psychoanalytic discourse. In the intimacy of encountering the couch – our shared sanctuary of thought – Christina embraced the relational model, creating a realm where reciprocal revelation flourished. In the wake of her absence, we are drawn to reflection, to the essence of mourning. The emotional investment we have placed in the lost, Christina teaches us, must be rerouted, seeking new connections while cherishing the old. Her intellectual vibrancy and experiential wisdom beckon us to find renewal in what she so passionately explored – the eternal dance between myth and mind.
Salma Siddique