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HomiK.Bhabha
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HomiK.Bhabha(/bb/born1949)istheAnneF.RothenbergProfessorofEnglishand
AmericanLiteratureandLanguage,andtheDirectoroftheMahindraHumanitiesCenteratHarvard HomiK.Bhabha
University.Heisoneofthemostimportantfiguresincontemporarypostcolonialstudies,andhas
developedanumberofthefield'sneologismsandkeyconcepts,suchashybridity,mimicry,
difference,andambivalence.[1]Suchtermsdescribewaysinwhichcolonisedpeopleshaveresisted
thepowerofthecoloniser,accordingtoBhabha'stheory.In2012,hereceivedthePadmaBhushan
awardinthefieldofliteratureandeducationfromtheIndiangovernment.[2]

Contents
1 Earlylifeandeducation
2 Career
3 Ideas
3.1 Hybridity Born 1949(age6768)
3.2 Ambivalence
Mumbai,India
3.3 Culturaldifference,enunciation,andstereotype
3.4 Mimicry Almamater UniversityofMumbai
3.5 ThirdSpace ChristChurch,Oxford
3.6 Influences
4 Reception Era 20thcenturyphilosophy
5 Personallife School Postcolonialtheory
6 Works(incomplete)
Poststructuralism
7 Seealso
8 References Main Historyofideas,Literature
9 Externallinks interests
Notableideas "Thirdspace","Enunciatory
Present"
Earlylifeandeducation Influences

BorninMumbai,IndiatoaParsifamily,BhabhagraduatedwithaB.A.fromElphinstoneCollegeattheUniversityofMumbaiandanM.A.,M.Phil.,
andD.Phil.inEnglishLiteraturefromChristChurch,OxfordUniversity.

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Career
AfterlecturingintheDepartmentofEnglishattheUniversityofSussexformorethantenyears,BhabhareceivedaseniorfellowshipatPrinceton
UniversitywherehewasalsomadeOldDominionVisitingProfessor.HewasSteinbergVisitingProfessorattheUniversityofPennsylvaniawherehe
deliveredtheRichardWrightLectureSeries.AtDartmouthCollege,BhabhawasafacultyfellowattheSchoolofCriticismandTheory.From1997to
2001heservedasChesterD.TrippProfessorintheHumanitiesattheUniversityofChicago.In200102,heservedasaDistinguishedVisiting
ProfessoratUniversityCollege,London.HehasbeentheAnneF.RothenbergProfessorofEnglishandAmericanLiteratureandLanguageatHarvard
Universitysince2001.BhabhaalsoservesontheEditorialCollectiveofPublicCulture,anacademicjournalpublishedbyDukeUniversityPress.He
wasawardedthePadmaBhushanawardbytheGovernmentofIndiain2012.

Ideas
Hybridity

Oneofhiscentralideasisthatof"hybridisation,"which,takingupfromEdwardSaid'swork,describestheemergenceofnewculturalformsfrom
multiculturalism.Insteadofseeingcolonialismassomethinglockedinthepast,Bhabhashowshowitshistoriesandculturesconstantlyintrudeonthe
present,demandingthatwetransformourunderstandingofcrossculturalrelations.Hisworktransformedthestudyofcolonialismbyapplyingpost
structuralistmethodologiestocolonialtexts.[3][4]

Ambivalence

Theideaofambivalenceseescultureasconsistingofopposingperceptionsanddimensions.Bhabhaclaimsthatthisambivalencethisdualitythat
presentsasplitintheidentityofthecolonizedotherallowsforbeingswhoareahybridoftheirownculturalidentityandthecolonizer'scultural
identity.Ambivalencecontributestothereasonwhycolonialpowerischaracterizedbyitsbelatedness.Colonialsignifiersofauthorityonlyacquiretheir
meaningsafterthe"traumaticscenarioofcolonialdifference,culturalorracial,returnstheeyeofpowertosomepriorarchaicimageoridentity.
Paradoxically,however,suchanimagecanneitherbe'original'byvirtueoftheactofrepetitionthatconstructsitnoridenticalbyvirtueofthe
differencethatdefinesit."[5]Accordingly,thecolonialpresenceremainsambivalent,splitbetweenitsappearanceasoriginalandauthoritativeandits
articulationasrepetitionanddifference.[5]Thisopensupthetwodimensionsofcolonialdiscourse:thatwhichischaracterizedbyinventionandmastery
andthatofdisplacementandfantasy.

Culturaldifference,enunciation,andstereotype

Bhabhapresentsculturaldifferenceasanalternativetoculturaldiversity.Inculturaldiversity,acultureisan"objectofempiricalknowledge"andpre
existstheknowerwhileculturaldifferenceseescultureasthepointatwhichtwoormoreculturesmeetanditisalsowheremostproblemsoccur,
discursivelyconstructedratherthanpregiven,a"processofenunciationofcultureas'knowledgeable.'"[5]Enunciationistheactofutteranceor
expressionofaculturethattakesplaceintheThirdSpace.Sincecultureisneverpregiven,itmustbeuttered.Itisthroughenunciationthatcultural
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differenceisdiscoveredandrecognized.Theenunciativeprocessintroducesadividebetweenthetraditionalastablesystemofreferenceandthe
negationofthecertitudeofcultureinthearticulationofnewcultural,meanings,strategies,inthepoliticalpresent,asapracticeofdomination,or
resistance.[5]Therefore,culturaldifferenceisaprocessofidentification,whileculturaldiversityiscomparativeandcategorized.Moreover,itisthat
possibilityofdifferenceandarticulationthatcouldfreethesignifierofskin/culturefromthefixationsofracialtypology,however,thestereotype
impedesthecirculationandarticulationofthesignifierof"race"asanythingotherthanthat.Animportantaspectofcolonialandpostcolonialdiscourse
istheirdependenceontheconceptof"fixity"intheconstructionofotherness.Fixityimpliesrepetition,rigidityandanunchangingorderaswellas
disorder.Thestereotypedependsonthisnotionoffixity.Thestereotypecreatesan"identity"thatstemsasmuchfrommasteryandpleasureasitdoes
fromanxietyanddefenseofthedominant,"foritisaformofmultipleandcontradictorybeliefsinitsrecognitionofdifferenceanddisavowalofit."[5]

Mimicry

LikeBhabha'sconceptofhybridity,mimicryisametonymofpresence.Mimicryappearswhenmembersofacolonizedsocietyimitateandtakeonthe
cultureofthecolonizers.Lacanasserts,"Theeffectofmimicryiscamouflage...itisnotaquestionofharmonizingwiththebackground,butagainsta
mottledbackground."[5]Colonialmimicrycomesfromthecolonist'sdesireforareformed,recognizableOther,asasubjectofadifferencethatis,as
Bhabhawrites,"almostthesame,butnotquite".Thus,mimicryisasignofadoublearticulationastrategywhichappropriatestheOtherasitvisualizes
power.Furthermore,mimicryisthesignoftheinappropriate,"adifferenceorrecalcitrancewhichcoheresthedominantstrategicfunctionofcolonial
power,intensifiessurveillance,andposesanimminentthreattoboth'normalized'knowledgesanddisciplinarypowers".Inthisway,mimicrygivesthe
colonialsubjectapartialpresence,asifthe'colonial'isdependentforitsrepresentationwithintheauthoritativediscourseitself.[5]Ironically,the
colonistsdesiretoemergeas'authentic'throughmimicrythroughaprocessofwritingandrepetitionthroughthispartialrepresentation.Ontheother
hand,Bhabadoesnotinterpretmimicryasanarcissisticidentificationofthecolonizerinwhichthecolonizedstopsbeingapersonwithoutthecolonizer
presentinhisidentity.Heseesmimicryasa"doublevisionwhichindisclosingtheambivalenceofcolonialdiscoursealsodisruptsitsauthority.Andit
isadoublevisionthatisaresultofwhat[hehas]describedasthepartialrepresentation/recognitionofthecolonialobject...thefiguresofadoubling,the
partobjectsofametonymyofcolonialdesirewhichalienatesthemodalityandnormalityofthosedominatediscoursesinwhichtheyemergeas
'inappropriatecolonialsubjects."[5]

Thecolonists'desireisinvertedasthecolonialappropriationnowproducesapartialvisionofthecolonizer'spresenceagazefromtheOtheristhe
counterparttothecolonizer'sgazethatsharestheinsightofgenealogicalgazewhichfreesthemarginalizedindividualandbreakstheunityofman's
beingthroughwhichhehadextendedhissovereignty.Thus,"theobserverbecomestheobservedand'partial'representationrearticulatesthewhole
notionofidentityandalienatesitfromessence."[5]

ThirdSpace

TheThirdSpaceactsasanambiguousareathatdevelopswhentwoormoreindividuals/culturesinteract(comparethistourbanistEdwardW.Soja's
conceptualizationofthirdspace).It"challengesoursenseofthehistoricalidentityofcultureasahomogenizing,unifyingforce,authenticatedbythe
originarypast,keptaliveinthenationaltraditionofthePeople".Thisambivalentareaofdiscourse,whichservesasasiteforthediscursiveconditions
ofenunciation,"displacesthenarrativeoftheWesternwritteninhomogeneous,serialtime."[5]Itdoessothroughthe"disruptivetemporalityof

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enunciation".Bhabhaclaimsthat"culturalstatementsandsystemsareconstructedinthiscontradictoryandambivalentspaceofenunciation."[5]Asa
result,thehierarchicalclaimstotheinnateoriginalityorpurityofculturesareinvalid.Enunicationimpliesthatculturehasnofixityandeventhesame
signscanbeappropriated,translated,rehistoricized,andreadanew.

Influences

Bhabha'sworkinpostcolonialtheoryowesmuchtopoststructuralism.NotableamongBhabha'sinfluencesincludeJacquesDerridaanddeconstruction
JacquesLacanandLacanianpsychoanalysisandMichelFoucault'snotionofdiscursivity.[6][7]Additionally,ina1995interviewwithW.J.T.Mitchell,
BhabhastatedthatEdwardSaidisthewriterwhohasmostinfluencedhim.[6]Inthesocialsciences,EdwardW.Sojahasmostthoroughlyreliedonand
transformedBhabha'sapproachestounderstandingnotionofspace,action,andrepresentation.

Reception
Bhabhahasbeencriticizedforusingindecipherablejargonanddenseprose.In1998,thejournalPhilosophyandLiteratureawardedBhabhasecond
prizeinits"BadWritingCompetition,"[8]which"celebratesbadwritingfromthemoststylisticallylamentablepassagesfoundinscholarlybooksand
articles."BhabhawasawardedtheprizeforasentenceinhisTheLocationofCulture(Routledge,1994)thatreads:

If,forawhile,theruseofdesireiscalculablefortheusesofdisciplinesoontherepetitionofguilt,justification,pseudoscientifictheories,
superstition,spuriousauthorities,andclassificationscanbeseenasthedesperateeffortto"normalize"formallythedisturbanceofadiscourseof
splittingthatviolatestherational,enlightenedclaimsofitsenunciatorymodality.[8]

ProfessorEmeritusofEnglishatStanfordUniversityMarjoriePerloffsaidthatherreactiontoBhabha'sappointmenttotheHarvardfacultywasoneof
"dismay",tellingtheNewYorkTimesthat"Hedoesn'thaveanythingtosay."MarkCrispinMiller,aprofessorofmediastudiesatNewYorkUniversity,
remarkedonBhabha'swriting:"Onecouldfinallyarguethatthereisnomeaningthere,beyondtheneologismsandLatinatebuzzwords.Mostofthe
timeIdon'tknowwhathe'stalkingabout."[9]

Ina2005interview,Bhabhaexpressedhisannoyanceatsuchcriticismsandtheimpliedexpectationthatphilosophersshouldusethe"commonlanguage
ofthecommonperson,"whilescientistsaregivenapassforthesimilaruseoflanguagethatisnotimmediatelycomprehensibletocasualreaders.[10]In
hisreviewentitled"GoodbyetotheEnlightenment",TerryEagletonprovidedamoresubstantivecritiqueofBhabha'swork,explaininginTheGuardian
(8February1994)that"Bhabha'saimistoputtheskidsundereverycherisheddoctrineofWesternEnlightenment,fromtheideaofprogresstotheunity
oftheself,fromtheclassicalworkofarttothenotionsoflawandcivility".BhabhausesIndia,forinstance,asanexampleofalternativepossibilities
whenhearguesthattheveryideaandpracticeofsecularismischanging.[11]

HehaswrittenfewermonographsthanalmostanyotherholderofaseniorchairatHarvard.

Personallife
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HeismarriedtoattorneyandHarvardlecturerJacquelineBhabha.ThecouplehavethreechildrentogethernamedLeahBhabha,IshanBhabha,and
SatyaBhabha.

Works(incomplete)
Includesbookeditingduties,journalarticles,andbookchapters

(Ed.)NationandNarration,Routledge(1990ISBN0415014832)
TheLocationofCulture,Routledge(1994ISBN0415336392)
EdwardSaidContinuingtheConversation,coed.withW.J.T.Mitchell(originallyanissueofCriticalInquiry),2005.ISBN0226532038
"Cosmopolitanisms"inPublicCulture12.3,edsSheldonI.Pollock,HomiK.Bhabha,CarolBreckenridge,ArjunAppadurai,andDipesh
Chakrabarty,2000.
"InaSpiritofCalmViolence",1993.
"Modernity,Culture,andTheJew",edsLauraMarcus&BryanCheyette,1998.
"ConversationalArt"inConversationsattheCastle:ChangingAudiencesandContemporaryArt,MaryJaneJacobandMichaelBrenson,eds.
(Cambridge,Mass.:TheMITPress,1998).
"OnCulturalChoice",2000.
"V.S.Naipaul",2001
"DemocracyDeRealized",2002.
"OnWritingRights",2003.
"MakingDifference:TheLegacyoftheCultureWars",2003.
"Adagio",2004.
"StillLife",2004.
ForewordtoTheWretchedoftheEarthbyFrantzFanon,transl.RichardPhilcox,2004.
"FramingFanon",2005.
"WithoutBoundary",withFereshtehDaftariandOrhanPamuk,2006.
"TheBlackSavantandtheDarkPrincess",2006.

Seealso
Listofdeconstructionists
Postcolonialism
Poststructuralism
Postmodernism
EdwardSaid

References

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1.Huddart,David."HomiK.Bhabha",RoutledgeCriticalThinkers,2006
2."PadmaAwards"(http://www.pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=79881).
pib.27January2013.Retrieved27January2013.
3."PostColonialTheoryandActionResearch"(http://www.tojqi.net/articles/T
OJQI_2_2/TOJQI_2_2_Article_1.pdf)(PDF).JimB.Parsons,KellyJ.
Harding,TheUniversityofAlberta,Canada.Retrieved20August2012.
4.AbdennebiBenBeya(c.1998)."Mimicry,AmbivalenceandHybridity"(htt
p://www.english.emory.edu/Bahri/1WEBPAGE.HTML).Postcolonial
Studies@Emory.Retrieved20August2012.
5.Bhabha,HomiK.TheLocationofCulture.London:Routledge,1994.
6.CM2004Article:Grimstad(http://culturemachine.tees.ac.uk/Cmach/Backiss
ues/j006/articles/grimstad.htm)
7.W.J.T.Mitchell,"Translatortranslated"(interviewwithculturaltheorist
HomiBhabha)
(http://prelectur.stanford.edu/lecturers/bhabha/interview.html).Artforum
v.33,n.7(March1995):8084.
8.TheBadWritingContest,PressReleases,19961998(http://denisdutton.co
m/bad_writing.htm),accessed4April2010.
9.EmilyEakin,"Harvard'sPrizeCatch,aDelphicPostcolonialist"(https://sele
ct.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40E17FE395F0C748DDDA80994D9
404482&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fE%2fEaki
n%2c%20Emily),TheNewYorkTimes,17November2001.
10.SachidanandaMohanty,LiteraryReview:"Towardsaglobalcultural
citizenship"(http://www.hindu.com/lr/2005/07/03/stories/200507030002010
0.htm),TheHindu,3July2005.
11.Poddar,PremandSrinivasanJain."SecularismasanIdeaWillChange:
InterviewwithHomiBhabha",TheBookReview,January1995.Republished
inTheHindu,1995.

Externallinks
Facultywebpage(http://english.fas.harvard.edu/faculty/bhabha/)atHarvardUniversity
WikimediaCommonshas
Gewertz,Ken."Tellingtalesoutof,andin,class"(http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2002/01.31/03bh mediarelatedtoHomiK.
abha.html)atHarvardUniversityGazette,31January2002 Bhabha.
CultureMachinearticleonBhabha(http://culturemachine.tees.ac.uk/Cmach/Backissues/j006/articles/grim
stad.htm)

Interviews

InterviewwithKerryChance(http://www.bard.edu/hrp/resource_pdfs/chance.hbhabha.pdf)(pdf)
"Rethinkingexperienceofcountrieswithcolonialpast"(http://chronicle.uchicago.edu/950216/bhabha.shtml),InterviewwithJeffMakos.The
UniversityofChicagoChronicle,16February1995,Vol.14,No.12
W.J.T.Mitchell,"Translatortranslated"(interviewwithculturaltheoristHomiBhabha)(http://prelectur.stanford.edu/lecturers/bhabha/interview.h
tml).Artforumv.33,n.7(March1995):8084.
"Towardsaglobalculturalcitizenship"(http://www.hindu.com/lr/2005/07/03/stories/2005070300020100.htm).InterviewwithSachidananda
Mohanty.TheHindu,3July2005.
"TheThirdSpace"(http://www.wspkultur.unibremen.de/summerschool/download%20ss%202006/The%20Third%20Space.%20Interview%20w
ith%20Homi%20Bhabha.pdf).InterviewwithJonathanRutherford,1990(pdf)

Videos

ScopeII:Sites&SubjectsPreconferenceInterview(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AhDyvl08_Q)onYouTube,NarratingHeritage
conference,Austria,12July2006
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Retrievedfrom"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Homi_K._Bhabha&oldid=782791860"

Categories: 1949births 20thcenturyIndianphilosophers AcademicsoftheUniversityofSussex AmericanmalewritersofIndiandescent

ContemporaryIndianphilosophers HarvardUniversityfaculty IndianemigrantstotheUnitedStates Livingpeople Postcolonialism
RecipientsofthePadmaBhushaninliterature&education ParsipeoplefromMumbai Parsiwriters AlumniofChristChurch,Oxford
Poststructuralists Postmodernists Criticaltheorists AmericanmalescientistsofIndiandescent WritersfromMumbai
AmericanacademicsofIndiandescent AmericanpeopleofParsidescent BritishpeopleofParsidescent BritishZoroastrians

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