Social Relations of Urban Children in the Liminal Time of the Pandemic Period

This paper analysed the social relations of Polish children during the SARSCoV- 2 pandemic. The period of isolation and remote learning was approached as a transitional time using Victor Turner’s concept of liminality. The concept offered a new perspective on children’s experiences during the regime of health protection constraints and the resulting limitations. The research material was collected using focus group interviews with 41 urban children aged 7 and 9 to describe liminal features of their everyday life and characterise their social interactions. The findings reveal the risks and the potential of the pandemic period with respect to the social world and its construction by children. The most important observation concern is that educators and caregivers exploit children’s aversion to mediated interaction and assistance in reconstructing the world of actual interaction of children using creative rituals within the family and at school.

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