Personal and social transition and the concept of enforced liminality for Indigenous Australians with adult acquired physical disability

Abstract

In the 20th century, anthropologists and sociologists explored social transition and defined the concept of liminality, whereby some members of a society are considered to have a liminal status, on the edge of society, until they have passed through a transitional phase. It can be shown that the implications of transition for liminality can be extended to the personal experiences of people undergoing transition. Transition can take many forms, with Indigenous Australians experiencing a transition brought on by colonisation, away from their traditional life and culture. People who acquire a physical disability as an adult also experience a more personal kind of transition within their own cultural setting. Indigenous Australians who also acquire a physical disability as an adult experience both kinds of transition together. This paper explores transition, liminality and the related concepts of hybridity and communitas. It is argued that Indigenous Australians experience a liminality which is enforced by mainstream society and that their adult-acquired physical disability is a permanent liminality rather than temporary. Research questions and a possible methodology are identified.