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Crossing No-Man’s Land: Wonder Woman & Liminality

Claire Meagher

Princess Diana of Themyscira—aka the eponymous Wonder Woman—in Patty Jenkin’s 2017 film, resists distinct classification in her identity. She is set apart from the human world due to her Amazonian heritage, but also distanced from the Amazons due her compassionate nature. As it becomes difficult to identify Diana clearly, her character falls into a liminal space. Cultural anthropologist Victor Turner’s theory of liminality can be applied to the trajectory of Diana’s story in the film. Diana finds power in her liminal potential—within the gaps in her identity, she becomes a capable superhero.  

Keywords: Liminality, Wonder Woman, Victor Turner, Superheroes, Patty Jenkins

Claire Meagher is a recent Master of Arts graduate from the University of Guelph. She received her B.A. from the University of Waterloo in English. Her work focuses on national identity and the boundaries that are permeated through works of literature. Drawing on her background in history, Claire studies negotiations of power in relation to themes of feminism and historical narration.