A Liminal Moment in Social Work.

Abstract

There is a concept from anthropology that I have found very useful throughout my career, and that has been on my mind a great deal lately—the concept of the liminal moment (Van Gennep, 1909). The term comes from the Latin limen, which literally means a threshold. Liminal moments are times of transition, specifically the time when it is realized that the way things were are over, but the way things will be are not yet clear. As beautifully described by Malksoo (2012), liminal moments are in-between situations and conditions where established structures are dislocated, hierarchies reversed, and traditional settings of authority possibly endangered… . It is thus a realm of great ambiguity, since the liminal entities are neither here nor there; they are betwixt and between the positions assigned and arrayed by law, custom, convention, and ceremonial. Yet, as a threshold situation, liminality is also a vital moment of creativity, a potential platform for renewing the societal make-up. (p. 481)