third space en · NOUN
Etymology
The first sense was coined by Indian critical theorist Homi K. Bhabha in the context of his hybridity theory.
Meanings
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(countable, uncountable) A state or situation in which cultural distinctions do not apply, allowing one to transcend cultural assumptions.
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.
2008, Living in Multiple Worlds, →ISBN, page 30: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.
2000, Jon Van Til, Growing Civil Society: From Nonprofit Sector to Third Space, →ISBN: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.
2012, Adela C. Licona, Zines in Third Space: Radical Cooperation and Borderlands Rhetoric, →ISBN, page 11: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.
2014, Arnd Witte, Blending Spaces, →ISBN:
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(countable, uncountable) A place that is neither home nor work, providing a venue for social interaction in a way that those places do not provide.
WeightWatchers meetings were a third space, those increasingly rare places that are not work and are not home.
2025 May 15, Jennifer Weiner, “WeightWatchers Got One Thing Very Right”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 15 May 2025:For youth of Korea – where most still live at home before getting married – these third spaces operate as spaces to connect with other like-minded people.
2008, Larissa Hjorth, Mobile Media in the Asia-Pacific, page 258:
- (countable, uncountable) An extracellular and extravascular space where abnormal fluid buildup can occur when fluid balance goes wrong.
- (countable, uncountable) Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see third, space.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Third Space | alternative | lexicographic | |
| third spaces | Number=Plur | lexicographic |