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This introductory article introduces the concepts of misfit and misfitting as a relational prism for analysing social life in conditions of uncertainty and indeterminacy. Drawing on ethnographic materials from ‘in-between’ places in a multipolar world, it examines how elements that no longer – or not yet – fit dominant orders generate awkward relations that reverberate across cognitive, affective, spatial, and temporal domains. Engaging critically with anthropological debates on categorization, liminality, affect, and repair, the article argues that the in-between is neither unstructured nor merely transitional, but textured by power, historical afterlives, and anticipations of uncertain futures. Misfit/misfitting, we argue, is not simply about being ‘out of place’, but a quality that can reveal how social and political fabrics are strained, realigned, rejected outright, or restitched. Thus, attending to moments of misfitting allows us to see society as an ongoing patchwork constantly made and remade through rupture and repair.

26:T51c,

The article examines the experiences of Lithuanian residents who hosted Ukrainian refugees in their homes in the immediate aftermath of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. First, it argues that the commonly used migration and refugee terminology may be a misfit for this situation, as Lithuanian hosts did not view Ukrainians primarily as refugees, nor were they treated as such legally. Instead, hosts often saw Ukrainians as wives and children of soldiers of a related polity defending Europe’s frontier, with hosting framed through the lens of war and having agency in it. Second, the article examines how the perceived ‘fit’ between the Lithuanian and Ukrainian polities – historical and geopolitical – was experienced and reconfigured through hosting. Although guests occasionally, albeit to varying degrees, did not meet hosts’ expectations, this did not affect the overall sense of affinity between the two polities. At the time of my fieldwork, the affinity rested on the commitment to and faith in Ukraine’s victory – though rarely defined – which is why hosts often viewed stories of ‘misfitting’ as distractions from this existential goal. The article sheds light on the epistemic and affective labour that goes into positioning oneself and others in relation to war.

27:T426,

This article explores the tranquility, hangist-ness, and the simultaneous roar of the Russian military landscape in Gyumri, Armenia’s second-largest city. It specifically examines residents’ encounters with the Russian military base and how these interactions evoke feelings of fear and an