The Practice of Liminality As a Sociology of Concern

Current study explores the segregated context of Estonian education system, where Estonian and Russian-medium schools coexist. Using the underrepresented theory of liminality in sociology in combination with the theory of reflexivity of Margaret Archer, I examine the vulnerable positions of teachers in Russian medium schools.The empirical data for this qualitative study was gathered in 2021 and 2022 - when the transition of all Russian-medium schools in Estonia into Estonian language of instruction had been discussed ardently. My findings reveal that these teachers experience different forms of liminality, shaped by self-defined, socially constructed, and ontological constraints.

These liminal moments foster teacher reflexivity, serving as a catalyst for their transformations while navigating the state of ‘betweenness’. Concurrently, their practices of replication and reproduction, which nurture their liminal positions, may be consciously chosen by them as signs of opposition, self-protection, or adherence to their own culture. These teachers ongoing concerns are not only connected with their inability to change the situation in their contexts (inability to teach in Estonian in the Russian-medium schools) but are also an intimate expression of 'what they care about most'. Their cultural projects are an intersection of their concerns, inspirations, and the practice of resistance.

This study was made as a part of my PhD project at Tallinn University; the dissertation was successfully defended on January 29, 2024.