Cancer narratives, communitas and liminality

Abstract

The present study is based on the qualitative exploration of Cancer narratives through the lens of Liminality, the theory that was proposed by Arthur Van Gennep. It was further explored by Victor Turner. The Cancer narratives also show that the cancer patients go through a mental condition called pre-liminal, liminal and post-liminal stages. The liminal stage proves, "a neither here nor there," kind of stage. The study also aims at finding out the how illness can bring a change in an individual's perspective of life. It also aims at finding out whether the disease has been studied in the right perspective. Besides how communitas helps in understanding the cancer condition because those who are not in the lethal range of cancer don't understand what a cancer sufferer has to go through. How cancer influences people of different age, gender and stages of life is also the objective of the study? How the doctors who treat cancer patients feel about their patients because the patients come to the doctor for hope and assurance?