Crisis experiences throw many social actors into a state of hysteresis that inhibits their capacity to construct a desirable future for themselves and others. Without sufficient and timely adaptation to new circumstances, they risk falling into indeterminate marginalization. Drawing on an in-depth qualitative study of an interstitial space for refugee support in rural Germany, I explore how these interactive micro-settings can function as emancipatory instruments for marginalized individuals, allowing them to restore their future-making capacity and accelerate their (re)socialization. Based on my findings, I develop a process model that shows how the future-making capacity of marginalized actors varies before, during, and after their interactions in interstitial spaces. Thereby, my research makes two major contributions to the literature. First, it enriches the future-making literature with a relational perspective that addresses the previously neglected yet critical role of physical spaces in the execution of future-making practices. Second, it advances the emerging literature on interstitial spaces by refuting previous theoretical assumptions about the stability of the structural positioning of the individuals who frequent these spaces.
