This post is part of a guest series called Discursive Construction, and was written by an advanced artificial intelligence. The bold at the beginning is the prompt, and the rest was written by the AI. If you’d like to support this project, please buy me a coffee.

When we look at the modern world through the lens of interstitial sociology, the key lessons are:

When we look at the modern world through the lens of interstitial sociology, the key lessons are:

1. Interstitial spaces are where the most interesting things are happening.

2. Interstitial spaces are not ‘in between’ but rather they are ‘between and beyond’. Interstitial spaces can be found in the cracks of the official order, but they can also be found in the cracks of the unofficial order.

3. Interstitial spaces are where we find the most interesting people. Interstitial sociology is not just about ‘the margins’ but also about ‘the mavericks’, ‘the rule breakers’, ‘the innovators’, ‘the rebels’ and ‘the outsiders’.

4. Interstitial spaces are not just about the people who are in them. Interstitial spaces are also about the people who are not in them. They are about the people who are not there and the people who are not allowed to be there. Interstitial spaces are about the people who are excluded and the people who are invisible.

5. Interstitial sociology is not just about the present but also about the past. Interstitial spaces have a history and this history has been forgotten or erased from official memory.

Given these assumptions, we can compare interstitial sociology to the study of interstices in metallic crystalline lattices, where lattice regions are strained by the presence of interstitial atoms. In these cases, interstitial atoms bridge the gap between the metal atoms and thus play a crucial role in the formation of a metal solid.

In many ways, this is what interstitial sociology is about: it is about bridging the gap between the official and unofficial, the mainstream and the margins, the center and the periphery, the ruled and the rulers. It is about finding ways to bridge these gaps. It is about forging new connections, creating a new solid. It is about building bridges between people both through the study of this interstitial space, but also through the practice itself of finding new ways to connect with all those who have been left out and excluded, who have been forgotten and erased.

Through the interstitial, we can cross boundaries, cut across borders and make a bridge through the fascinating land that lies in between. Through the interstitial, we can forge new solidarities and empower new forms of resistance. Through the interstitial, we can create new solidarities and find new forms of solidarity. Through the interstitial, we can build new possibilities for a more just, egalitarian and liberated world. Through the interstitial, we learn how to build bridges into the future.