Liminality and the practices of identity reconstruction

2010/09/23 by Nic Beech · 560 citations
Business, Management and Accounting · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Aesthetics #Ambiguity #Anthropology #Art #Conceptualization #Dialogical self #Emotional Labor in Professions #Epistemology #Gender Diversity and Inequality #Identity (music) #Liminality #Linguistics #Management and Organizational Studies #Perspective (graphical) #Philosophy #Psychology #Social psychology #Sociology #Visual arts

paper · doi:10.1177/0018726710371235

published in Human Relations 64(2), 285-302 (SAGE Publishing)

openalex publication_date 2010/09/23 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/04

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to contribute a conceptualization of liminality, a state of in-between-ness and ambiguity, as it applies to identity reconstruction of people in organizations. Liminality is discussed in anthropological and organizational literatures and a composite understanding is developed here. This incorporates a dialogical perspective and defines liminal practices along with varying orientations of dialogue between the self and others. Application of this conceptualization is illustrated by analysis of two cases and a broader application of the concept to the identity work literature is discussed.

Citations

• Articulating identities

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