Bhabha suggested that as society members, we should seek to understand cultural differences and not just rely on group classifications. With the increasing number of immigrants, one’s heritage is no longer enough to define who you are. This 1994 book is a sequel to the Orientalism (1978) book by Said in the field colonialism.
Both authors are valuable, but their arguments lead to two divergent conclusions. Said’s theory centers on the dominance by the “Occident” over the “Orient”. Said uses Orientalism to resist the hegemonic western ideas. Said is critical of the idea that people should divide groups and look down on them. However, he keeps himself in the same loop by creating two opposite binaries for the world. Bhabha is a gentler post-colonialist and views this “hybrid” situation as one. It consists of three sections. Bhabha opens the book with the first, “Border Lives.The Art of the Present”. Here he suggests that it is wrong to categorize people according to ethnic characteristics and traits. He also discusses the importance of looking at the “between” spaces between cultures and groups. This utopian space shows that groups can not be separated from one another and should not be considered a fixed classification.
Bhabha explains the feelings of immigrants in post-colonial areas where they feel their homeland is not theirs in the second part of his introduction. His theory says that the concept of country or home is unnecessary. He believes that it is important to transcend these boundaries and experience the feeling of “unhomeliness”. This is in keeping with Bhabha’s “Deconstruction” approach to concepts. Personally, I feel strongly connected with the idea of culture, ethnicity/home, identity and their variable phenomena. There are no geographical boundaries. Bhabha believes that “unhomely” or changing the living location is an opportunity to start approaching the trans-culturalization, beyond the identity.
This introduction ends with “Looking For the Join”. This is the summary section that links together all of the other sections. This essay has a very thoughtful layout. The author used new concepts that were familiar to us, such “beyond”, ‘in-between’ and “hybridity” as a way to explain terms. It was very interesting. This is the positive aspect of his book. His long descriptions made it clear that he frequently used these words to explain how terms work. His message is both fundamental and utopian. He asks us to redefine how we view identity in multi-cultural societies. We are shaped by not only our own experiences, but also the histories and experiences of those we meet. Bhabha believes that culture is the most important element of identity. Postcolonialism must therefore be redefined.
