homme-limite

English translation: liminal figures

12:52 May 28, 2010

French to English translations [PRO]
Social Sciences - Anthropology

French term or phrase: homme-limite

This is a term that comes up in a text about shamans, tricksters and other similar religious figures in a number of different societies:

a) Les maîtres du désordre : archétypes du chamane, **homme-limite**, fripons divins, clown sacré, intercesseur, etc.

**L’homme-limite **est l’allié de l’invisible, il compose avec le surmonde et son savoir le rend nécessaire et inquiétant à la fois. Ce spécialiste de l’altérité n’est pas un prêtre ni nécessairement un mystique.

It seems there should be a specific term for this in English, but for some reason I am having trouble locating it. French usage seems to point more to borderline personality disorders - perhaps something like "borderline beings" or "boundary dwellers" but I am loathe to invent terminology.
Anyone familiar with this term?

Susan Nicholls KudoZ activity Questions: 49 (none open) (4 closed without grading) Answers: 165
Local time: 17:08

English translation:liminal figures

Explanation:
In anthropology lingo. "Marginals" is also good.

Cf. "The trickster and related archetypes embody many such contradictions"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liminality#Liminality_in_ethnog...

Selected response from:

Jim Tucker (X)
United States

Grading comment

Thank you very much.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +1

liminal figures

Jim Tucker (X)

3 +1

marginalized men

Claire Nolan

3 -1

hottentot

kashew

Summary of reference entries provided

liz askew

homme-limite?

B D Finch

Discussion entries: 4

Answers

16 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): -1

hottentot

Explanation:
*

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Note added at 17 minutes (2010-05-28 13:09:42 GMT)
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With a capital H.

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Note added at 20 minutes (2010-05-28 13:12:33 GMT)
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...dans les utilisations philosophiques et/ou encyclopédiques, une nette polarisation de l'image : chez Rousseau, Voltaire, De Jaucourt, Raynal, Diderot, le Hottentot est à la fois " monstre " et " bon sauvage ". Une figure double, mais néanmoins cohérente à l'intérieur d'un certain dispositif idéologique, qui fait du Hottentot un être intermédiaire, sinon l'être liminal par excellence.

Reference: http://sites.univ-provence.fr/wclio-af/numero/5/theses/fauve...

kashew
France
Local time: 09:08
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 4

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you - I think the Hottentot is perhaps a specific example of a term that is being used more generally here.

3 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

marginalized men

Explanation:
In the discussion of shamanism referenced below, they mention people ''of marginal social categories'', and ''marginalized men''. They also speak of ''peripheral cults''. These expressions are not far from the meaning of ''limite''.

See this reference:

http://books.google.ca/books?id=GYUSx21WrbcC&pg=PA91&lpg=PA9...

Claire Nolan
Local time: 03:08
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4

22 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

liminal figures

Jim Tucker (X)
United States
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8

Grading comment

Thank you very much.

Reference comments

45 mins

Reference

Reference information:
Probably not relevant, but the only time I met this was in "pression limite", which I think is "borderline blood pressure"

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Note added at 50 mins (2010-05-28 13:42:36 GMT)
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believe it or not I have just seen your remarks about "borderline"!!!
honesty I had not read right to the end of your query until this very minute!

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Note added at 51 mins (2010-05-28 13:43:17 GMT)
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Personnalité Limite .Org - Site sur le trouble de personnalité ...
- [ Translate this page ]
12 août 2009 ... Le trouble de la personnalité limite (borderline) serait sous- ..... en Belgique, au Canada, aux États-Unis, en France, au Luxembourg et en ...
www.personnalitelimite.org/ - Cached - Similar

liz askew
United Kingdom
Native speaker of:

English

Note to reference poster

Asker: Thank you.

1 hr

Reference: homme-limite?

Reference information:
Not a single ghit for "homme-limite", so could it be a neologism of the author's?

B D Finch
France
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 16

Note to reference poster

Asker: The term comes up in some work on the tribe hitherto known as the Hottentots, this may be where the author got it from, in which case it should probably be "borderline human". I found some distressing chat topics on living with partners with borderline personality disorders where the term "homme limite" was used...

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homme-limite

English translation: liminal figures

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