Nekeliant

Nekeliant is a term used in literary theory, cognitive studies, and immersive media to describe a mode of perception or narration in which a viewer or reader experiences a scene by projecting their own intentional stance, affect, and sensory expectations into the observed events. This creates a hybrid first-person perspective that blends the observer’s mindset with aspects of the character or scene being described, without fully relinquishing awareness of the external context.

In practice, nekeliant perception relies on simulating another agent’s perceptual and emotional processes while maintaining a meta-awareness of the observer’s role. It differs from straightforward point-of-view narration or simple empathy by foregrounding a participatory projection that temporarily alters the observer’s phenomenological field. The result is an immersive moment in which boundaries between self and others become permeable, though not complete.

The term emerged in early 21st-century discussions of narrative technique, embodiment, and interactive media. It has been applied to analyses of novels, films, and video games that invite the audience to inhabit a character’s experiential world in a self-reflective way, as well as to studies of virtual reality and simulation where perceptual boundaries are deliberately altered.

Examples of nekeliant moments include deeply immersive game sequences that require players to adopt a character’s bodily sensations to solve tasks, or narrative passages that guide readers through a character’s internal sensations while preserving the narrator’s awareness of the surrounding scenario. Related concepts encompass embodied cognition, perspective-taking, and experiential narration.