In modern societies, secularisation, scientification, and rationalisation have had a major impact on systems of beliefs as well as everyday life. These processes influenced the meaning of liminality and rites of passage that are subject to public discourses and political, ethical, medical or legal decisions. Since the early twentieth century they were at the centre of controversial debates, particularly with a focus on the beginning and the end of life that point to central insecurities of every society: What does human life mean? How do we define its borders? Where do we come from? And where do we head to? This interdisciplinary volume traces the history of this discourse – and its implications for today. With contributions by Marina Bantiou | Anna Bauer | Thorsten Benkel | P. Boopathi | Julia Dornhöfer | Christoph Egen | Eric Benjamin Franklin | Florian Greiner | Christoph Gutenbrunner | Luisa Klatte | Wiebke Lisner | Anne Ostermann | Cornelia Weiß | Michael Zok