Communicating in the Third Space

Communicating in the Third Space aims to clarify Homi K. Bhabha’s theory of the third space of enunciation by reconstructing its philosophical, sociological, geographical, and political meaning with attention to the special advantages and ambiguities that arise as it is applied in practical--as well as theoretical--contexts. The idea of ＂third space＂ conceives the encounter of two distinct and unequal social groups as taking place in a special third space of enunciation where culture is disseminated and displaced from the interacting groups, making way for the invention of a hybrid identity, whereby these two groups conceive themselves to partake in a common identity relating to shared space and common dialogue. The essays collected in Communicating in the Third Space--including a preface by Bhabha himself--brilliantly introduce readers to this exciting topic in Cultural and Post-Colonial theory and offers insightful elaboration and critique of the meaning and relevance of life in the ＂third space.＂ With a preface by Homi K. Bhabha.

Karin Ikas is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of English & American Studies at Frankfurt (M) University where she also holds a senior research position in the Department of Social Sciences. Her dissertation on ＂Modern Chicana Literature: An Intercultural Analysis＂ won the prestigious Daimler Chrysler Foundation’s ＂Academy Award for Intercultural Studies.＂ Her books include Chicana Ways (2002), Gender Debat/tl/ed (2003), Stories from Down Under, co-edited with David Carter (2004), Violence and Transgression in World Minority Literatures (co-editor, 2005) and Global Realignments and the Canadian Nation in the Third Millennium (2009). Forthcoming is ’A Nation Forged in Fire’: Canadian Literature and the Construction of National Identity.

Gerhard Wagner is a professor at the Department for Social Sciences at Frankfurt (M) University. His publications include Der Fremde als sozialer Typus (co-editor, 2002), Projekt Europa (2005), Kultur in Zeiten der Globalisierung (co-editor, 2005), Eine Geschichte der Soziologie (2007) and an introductory novel into sociology entitled Paulette on the Beach that was published in German as Paulette am Strand (2008). Currently, he is preparing the manuscript of the correspondence between Alfred Schuetz and Eric Voegelin for press with University of Missouri Press. He is further the co-editor of vol.1 (2007) and 2 (2008) of the five-volume edition of the collected works of Albert Salomon. Forthcoming is his monograph Die Wissenschaftstheorie der Soziologie (2010) and his edited essay collection entitled Wie wirkt Recht? Beiträge zur rechtssoziologischen Effektivitätsforschung.