Absence shapes globalisation as much as presence. It highlights gaps, invisibilities, and marginalisations that emerge even as global connections grow tighter and more diverse. At global dis:connect, we distinguish three forms of absence: active absence, loss, and invisible presence. Active absence occurs where connections would be expected but are strikingly missing, thereby shaping social and cultural dynamics. Loss – often invisible in quantitative analyses – captures the human and material voids created by migration, displacement, or exclusion. Invisible presence refers to actors or communities that remain conceptually absent yet influence global processes, such as historically marginalised groups whose cultural and political contributions become visible through alternative narratives. By studying absences, we explore the silences, gaps, and invisible forces that define globalisation.