Liminality and the practices of identity reconstruction

Nic Beech

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    408 Citations (Scopus)

    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.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)285-302
    Number of pages18
    JournalHuman Relations
    Volume64
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Feb 2011

    Keywords

    • dialogue
    • identity construction
    • liminality
    • practice

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Management of Technology and Innovation
    • Strategy and Management
    • General Social Sciences

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