Stuck in the Liminal

'Over the past decade alone, protracted refugee situations have increased as a total of all refugee situations from 45 to 90 per cent so that they are now the norm. The average protracted refugee situation lasts an estimated 17 years, up from only nine years in 1993'. (Dr Jen Couch THE REFUGEES PARADOX)

I have been learning about the liminal space in recent months in the context of education . Although it is understood to be a space which can be challenging, it was also a space I understood as ultimately offering personal transformation if I ventured into it and stayed long enough . It made me feel positive .After all, it was usually temporary pain in many cases for long term gain. Listening to Dr Jen Couch's lecture however made me feel a suffocating sense of being in the liminal . The word 'temporary' instilled anger .Being considered 'temporary' leaves refugees in limbo for year after year and evidently their status is anything but . Dr Jen Couch described refugees finding themselves in' liminality:'having' left' one' nation' state,' they' are' not' (yet)' accepted' by' another.

This is not a space I would want to be in and it made me reflect on the level of inner personal strength that would be required by a human being forced to sit in this space for the equivalent of their entire childhood. 17 years on average !

`It is no surprise then that host governments prefer to maintain refugee camps as temporary spaces. Refugees’ legal status usually prevents them from taking up employment, owning property or moving freely, thus stripping them of agency' 1.

How can we compare the personal strength of children needed in these situations to those of us who can see short term pain but sense achievement is just around the corner? It made me think about the difference of the liminal space when it is entered into with some sense of control as opposed to feeling you have none and there is no reward in sight .

How would you approach this as an educator and assist children to feel a sense of direction and motivation ?

Our own students may be experiencing extended periods of sitting on the liminal bridge with no sense of control over their lives both inside and outside of school . Their place of 'transition , waiting and not knowing ' may not be as extreme as that which refugees are forced to endure but it may still be more difficult than we're aware of and leave them also feeling they have no self direction and no control over their circumstances .

As teachers we should look at methods that as John Dewey described instill ' the desire to go on learning ' even in prolonged difficult circumstances. As Dr Jen Couch describes , we need to ask refugees what they want rather than choosing for them . We need to build self esteem by changing the dialogue and providing them with control - a voice when decisions about their life are made .The same can apply to our students who feel stuck in a world where parents may be divorcing , incessant bullying is occurring or worse .Lack of control is the shared element .What opportunities can we offer in our classrooms to ensure students have the motivation and self efficacy to concentrate when times are difficult and non conducive to learning ? How do we give that student a sense of self control over their learning which if nutured they are able to feel empowered by during those times when they feel they have control over little else .

References

https://theconversation.com/rethinking-refugee-camps-turning-boredom-into-innovation-47718

Dr Couch , J, ( June , 2017 ) The Refugees Paradox - Is higher education possible in protracted refugee settings?