Nota: A tradução desta entrada está atualmente em revisão de qualidade, portanto parte do conteúdo é exibida temporariamente apenas em inglês.
Este verbete ainda não foi traduzido para o seu idioma, portanto o original é exibido abaixo.
liminality
This term describes the psychological or social experience of being "betwixt and between." It carries a connotation of instability, ambiguity, and potential, as the subject is no longer what they were but is not yet what they will become. It is frequently used in academic contexts, particularly in anthropology, sociology, and psychology, to describe rites of passage or life transitions.
Because it refers to an abstract state or quality of existence, the word is used exclusively as an uncountable noun. It does not have a plural form and cannot be counted with numbers; instead, it is described in terms of degree or duration, such as "a period of liminality" or "a sense of liminality."
Meanings
The state of being in a transitional phase, occupying a position at, or crossing over, a threshold between two different states of being or stages of a process.
The adolescent years are characterized by a sense of liminality as the individual moves from childhood to adulthood.
In anthropology and sociology, the quality of ambiguity or disorientation that occurs in the middle stage of a rite of passage, when a participant no longer holds their previous social status but has not yet transitioned to the new one.
The ritual creates a period of liminality where traditional social hierarchies are temporarily suspended.