Poised at the Edge

Abstract This chapter explains the concept and overarching theme of liminality; it presents examples of liminal places, times, people, plants, and animals, and explains why liminal elements are sacred, alluring, and dangerous. It focuses on how performance practices tend to occur at liminal places and times, and often by potentially marginalized people who are, in fact, central to the expression of cultural identity. Centuries of displacement have moved musicians and musical instruments all over the world, making the notion of home difficult to assess. The chapter closes with issues of access and interdisciplinarity; it highlights the idea of grids and maps of knowledge and understanding that enable humans to think and behave in culturally bound ways.