That said, this is a very rewarding book which raises important issues. Most political theory and philosophy is all about Europe and North America, and Bhabha is one of the handful who realise that the remaining 3/4s of the world actually exist. I find him quite an open-minded thinker; like all critical theorists, he has his shibboleths and his preferred theoretical vocabularies, but he doesn't let this get in the way of his analysis of specific situations and texts. In addition, this is a hopeful text, insisting on the possibility of change for the better.

The "location of culture" of the title is a location in contingency, perhaps the Lacanian Real or some other such non-place; the basic point is that culture is not a fixed entity and that it can be reconstructed through various discursive manoeuvres such as hybridity (the fusion of two or more cultures) and "sly civility" (the ironic or dishonest maintenance of a cultural facade). Do not expect a structured narrative; each chapter basically stands on its own, and most are actually reproduced articles and essays from elsewhere. Nevertheless, they link together quite well because they all deal with similar issues about culture, oppression and change.

If you can't manage the whole book then at least try out the chapters on stereotyping and on how newness enters the world, which are pure genius - Bhabha at his best.

A word of warning, though - Bhabha at times endorses a heavy Lacanian ontology, only to apparently abandon it again in the next chapter, and to resurrect it again in the one which follows. He doesn't seem to be able to make his mind up whether he endorses the whole Lacanian package or not. This isn't a disaster because it means his approach is open and fluid, but it can make an already difficult text even more difficult. All in all, though, this is well worth a read.


Homi don't play that!   August 28, 1999
 0 out of 3 found this review helpful

Let's get one thing straight. Homi Bhabhi is difficult to understand. However, I think everyone else who wrote reviews is wrong. Bhabha is the only post-colonial theorist who has an adequate grasp of historical dynamics in constructing identity, while remaining unafraid to problematize notions of historicity. I don't think the other people who reviewed this book understand that. I liked this book. But I liked his earlier stuff--EG Nation and Narration--a little better.


Homi don't play that!   August 28, 1999
 4 out of 6 found this review helpful

Let's get one thing straight. Homi Bhabhi is difficult to understand. However, I think everyone else who wrote reviews is wrong. Bhabha is the only post-colonial theorist who has an adequate grasp of historical dynamics in constructing identity, while remaining unafraid to problematize notions of historicity. I don't think the other people who reviewed this book understand that. I liked this book. But I liked his earlier stuff--EG Nation and Narration--a little better.


Award-winning opaqueness   August 3, 1999
 6 out of 12 found this review helpful

This offering from Homi Bhaba is definitely in the running to win the grand prize for the most obstruse, deliberately arcane piece of academic prose in the past decade -- no mean feat. I agree wholeheartedly with the first reviewer, and anxiety-ridden grad students everywhere can take their first baby steps towards intellectual self-confidence and professional emancipation by admitting aloud what they silent know: this emperor is bucknaked and doing cartwheels down the boulevard.


Interesting, yet never develops as it should.   July 18, 1999
 3 out of 4 found this review helpful

Bhabha raises pertinent and fascinating points, yet I never felt as though he really elaborated on them. I was hoping to see Bhabha's opinions on parallels between the past, present and future. Both the previous reviews brought up relevent points, I felt. I wouldn't totally reject Bhabha's ideas as the first reviewer seemed to, yet the second reviewer was much too eager in his praises. In the future I think it would do Bhabha good to diversify his work.