Homi Bhabha

The term 'hybrid' is used more and more nowadays in different contexts. For example, we have hybrid vegetables and plants that carry genetic characteristics of more than one plant variety or species, hybrid vehicles that use more than one type of power source, and now we have a hybrid work culture where you can work partially from home and the office.

The literary theorist and scholar Homi K. Bhabha (b. 1949) used the term hybridity to talk about something more nuanced: identity or subjectivity within colonial relations. Bhabha became a prominent name in postcolonial theory and criticism, culture theory, and cultural identity in the globalised world following the publication of his book The Location of Culture in 1994.

Homi K. Bhabha: biography

Homi K. Bhabha was born in Mumbai, India. He comes from a Parsi heritage. He attended the University of Mumbai and completed his education at Oxford University. He has held teaching positions in universities such as the University of Sussex, the University of Chicago, Dartmouth College, the University of Pennsylvania, the University College London and Princeton University. In 2001, he became the Anne F. Rothenberg Professor of English and American Literature and Language at Harvard University.

Bhabha received the Padma Bhushan award (the third-highest civilian award in India) in 2012. He is married to the British attorney and senior lecturer at Harvard Law School, Jacqueline Bhabha. Homi K. Bhabha's famous books includeThe Location of Culture (1994) and Our Neighbours, Ourselves: Contemporary Reflections on Survival (2011).

So, what is hybridity in Bhabha's theory? Let's have a look.

Homi K. Bhabha: postcolonial theory

Homi K. Bhabha's discussion of colonialism in his book The Location of Culture caught the attention of scholars around the world. It went on to become a cornerstone of postcolonial theory and criticism.

The important concepts Bhabha discusses in the book are hybridity, mimicry, third space and ambivalence. Let's look at these concepts in detail!

Fig. 1 - Homi K. Bhabha with the postcolonial writer Arundhati Roy

Homi Bhabha: The Location of Culture

Bhabha proposed the theory of hybridisation in his book The Location of Culture. It remains one of the most influential books in the study of postcolonial literature.

Hybridity: Homi Bhabha

Bhabha borrowed the term hybridity from biological science.

Bhabha co-opted the term and concept to discuss the identities and subjectivities formed within the colonial master/subject relationship.

Although the concept of hybridity was proposed primarily within the colonial framework, it has since been adopted by cultural theorists and sociologists to discuss several issues, such as migration, globalisation, imperialism, and neocolonialism.

Homi K. Bhabha: mimicry

Bhabha uses the term mimicry to talk about the way the colonial subject mirrors their colonial masters in cultural values, characteristics, and language. Bhabha traces the origins of mimicry back to the efforts by the colonial authorities to 'civilise' the indigenous communities, mainly through Western education. In the British empire, Thomas Babington Macaulay, who introduced the English Education act of 1835, wrote that the purpose of the proposed education was to create Enligh-Educated intermediaries between the Empire and the indigenous public.

Mimicry, however, becomes a double-edged sword for the coloniser. Bhabha argues that there is a risk of mockery in close mimicry, which unsettles colonial power. Colonial mimicry carries an undertone of mockery, and this creates an ambivalence in the relationship between the coloniser and the colonised.

Fig. 2 - British Indian officers from 1915 who look similar to Colonial British officers

Homi Bhabha: third space

Mimicry by the hybrid subject creates tension in the colonial power equation. Bhabha describes the space the hybridised colonial occupies as the third space. This space of 'being almost the same but not quite'¹ created through mimicry is a space of ambivalence between the coloniser and the colonised, causing troubles in colonial power relations.

Don't worry if you don't understand the nuances of Bhabha's theory yet. Bhabha's writing style is complex and filled with literary and philosophical jargon. Bhabha defended his writing style by arguing that philosophers and thinkers have the same right to use complex terms, just like scientists.

It might be a fun activity to read these Homi K. Bhabha quotes and see what you make of them. Most concepts in literary theory, like philosophy, warrant critical thinking and engagement from students to understand and advance these thoughts. The following quotes are taken from The Location of Culture, in which Bhabha discusses the concepts of hybridity and mimicry elaborately.

The 'Other', also discussed by Edward Said, is an important concept in postcolonial criticism. Othering is based on social hierarchy and power.

The power relations of Othering is a delicate balance that can be upset when the subject mimics the master.