Abstract
This analysis concentrates on the case of a child, Jenny. The paper suggests that the concept of liminality may hold the key to an understanding of muted subject positions like the one assumed by Jenny in a school class. Liminality is proposed as a way of conceptualizing transitions where the subject in question transgresses established rules and regulations. The claim of this paper is that these particular ways of becoming an othered subject are normalized and that, in this process, Jenny’s fellow pupils become even more themselves while Jenny goes unnoticed. The concept of liminality paves the way for an understanding of imperfect and inconclusive transitions such as Jenny’s.
Résumé
Cette analyse examine le cas d’une enfant, Jenny. L’article propose de considérer le concept de “liminalité” comme clé de compréhension de certaines positions silencieuses du sujet, comme celle qu’endosse Jenny dans sa classe. La proposition est de considérer la liminalité en tant qu’elle permet de conceptualiser des transitions dans lesquelles le sujet transgresse les règles et les régulations établies. Le postulat de cet article est que de telles manières de devenir un “autre” sujet sont normalisées et que, par ce processus, les camarades de classe de Jenny deviennent encore plus eux-mêmes, alors que Jenny n’est plus remarquée. Le concept de liminalité ouvre une nouvelle compréhension de transitions imparfaites et non concluantes comme celles que vit Jenny.
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This paper has benefited greatly from readings by my colleagues Dorthe Staunæs and Signe Pildal Hansen, Aarhus University, DPU.
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Kofoed, J. Muted transitions. Eur J Psychol Educ 23, 199 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03172745
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03172745