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ERIC Number: EJ1247439
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Apr
Pages: 27
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1541-3446
EISSN: N/A
From Liminality to "Communitas": The Collective Dimensions of Transformative Learning
Buechner, Barton; Dirkx, John; Konvisser, Zieva Dauber; Myers, Deedee; Peleg-Baker, Tzofnat
Journal of Transformative Education, v18 n2 p87-113 Apr 2020
This article addresses a significant gap in the transformative learning literature as it relates to collective transformation, a transformation that is a level beyond individual transformation and is differentiated from the designed and imposed forms of social or organizational change. We consider collective transformation as an emergent and shared worldview shift that is grounded in a shared experience. The participants might not be fully aware of or even able to describe this experience until they engage with it at the interpersonal level. In prior research and practice, the five authors have independently observed and documented the phenomenon of collective transformation among members of marginalized populations who have undergone liminal experiences--forms of disequilibrium that leave individuals betwixt and between. The common thread in these experiences is the emergence of a shared feeling called "communitas," which is a deeply felt (yet often temporary) sense of belonging and community. This study's purpose is to further explore the roles that states of liminality and "communitas" play in creating the conditions for collective transformation. We draw on several theoretical and practice-based areas of literature and on five particular types of experience. We then examine each case for shared experiences of liminality and "communitas" as well as for the underlying qualities of self-understanding, relational ability, and a collectively felt sense of new possibilities. This study also includes suggestions for the application of these concepts to other social groups and in other contexts.
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A