War and geopolitical crises are a fact of life for people in Ukraine and Moldova, fuelling uncertainty about the present and the future. In the in-between space in which they find themselves, families, business people, workers and refugees all develop strategies for dealing with instability. In the LimSpaces project we have conducted extensive research into a range of liminal experiences:

How do people in a large housing estate in Chișinău manage communal tasks in the absence of many residents? What role does the EU play for small fruit and vegetable farmers at wholesale markets in Chișinău or Odesa? How is the water supply ensured in a war zone in Ukraine? What happens at the border crossings into Ukraine? How do Ukrainian parents and their children experience school in Germany? What dynamics characterise Ukrainian-Russian family relationships? How do people organise the commute between work in the EU and family life at home in Moldova?

All of these situations are characterised by acute uncertainty and sometimes insecurity. They affect people in very concrete ways and determine their family life, their livelihoods, and their plans for the future. The individual and collective experiences examined in the project contribute to a broader understanding of the concepts of ‘in-between space’ and liminality.

The LimSpaces project team will present an overview of their empirical research as well as charting a conceptual development arising from the project. The audience is invited to discuss their results and research practice.

Participants:

Claudia Eggart (ZOiS), Béatrice v. Hirschhausen (CNRS-Géographie-Cités, CMB), Sophie Lambroschini (CMB), Julia Langbein (ZOiS), Grégoire Le Gall (CNRS-Géographie-Cités), Sabine v. Löwis (ZOiS), Irina Mützelburg (ZOiS), Sandra Parvu (ENSA Paris Val de Seine), Ivan Savchuk (CNRS-Géographie Cités)

Chair: N.N.