third space

• Third Space

Coined by Homi K. Bhabha in the context of his hybridity theory.

third space (countable and uncountable, plural third spaces)

1. A state or situation in which cultural distinctions do not apply, allowing one to transcend cultural assumptions.
   • 2000, Jon Van Til, Growing Civil Society: From Nonprofit Sector to Third Space, →ISBN:

     Third space cannot be produced by the simple transmutation of an excess corporate profit into a charitable "gift": tainted money remains suspect unless it is transformed by a self-consious philanthropic effort.

   • 2008, Living in Multiple Worlds, →ISBN, page 30:

     While some have begun to define the concept of third space, the ever-changing nature of third space theory is a constant roadblock for scholars in this area.

   • 2012, Adela C. Licona, Zines in Third Space: Radical Cooperation and Borderlands Rhetoric, →ISBN, page 11:

     It is the lived condition of crossing borders and existing in the realm of both/and together that allows for the conscious movement into the creative terrain of third space.

   • 2014, Arnd Witte, Blending Spaces, →ISBN:

     However, this presupposes that hybrid third spaces are not conceptualized purely as spaces of mixing two or more influences on a level playing field; there are differences in conceptual power in intercultural contacts.

2. Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning: see third,‎ space.

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