"It has become clear that liminality is not only transition but also potentiality, not only 'going to be' but also 'what may be'..." (Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture, Victor and Edith Turner, p. 3).
The feeling of displacement characteristic of an experience of liminality, as this quote indicates, is often marked by a feeling of hope as to what the passage into the next phase may bring. Elsewhere in the book, the Turners talk about liminality in the context of religious ritual and pilgrimages, but I was wondering what other contexts liminality may also be experienced. For many, the college experience is very similar to this transitionary period marked by "potentiality." Students leave the safe, familiar environment of home to come to a place where they are not yet entirely independent from their parents but nonetheless removed to a much larger extent fro them. During this phase, every action and decision has direct implications for the way their future is shaped. They are able to engage in discovering and exploring what possibilities might lie ahead for them after they complete their education. This liminal experience is a transition away from home, towards and in this way between the potentiality of their future.
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