Introduction
This essay explores how Solmaz Sharif’s poetry collection Customs (2021) constructs and represents the concept of the Third Space as a textual practice. Drawing on Homi K. Bhabha’s theoretical framework of the Third Space, which describes a hybrid, interstitial zone of cultural negotiation and resistance, the analysis focuses on how Sharif’s work navigates the intersections of identity, displacement, and language. Through close readings of selected poems from Customs, this essay examines how Sharif employs linguistic fragmentation, cultural imagery, and the politics of naming to create a textual space that challenges binary constructs of belonging and alienation. The discussion will argue that Sharif’s poetry not only embodies the Third Space as a site of hybridity but also uses it as a means of critiquing systemic power structures. The essay is structured into three main sections: an exploration of Bhabha’s Third Space in relation to Sharif’s thematic concerns, an analysis of linguistic strategies as textual practice, and a consideration of cultural negotiation and resistance within the poems. The conclusion will reflect on the broader implications of Sharif’s approach for postcolonial and diasporic literature.
The Third Space: Theoretical Framework and Sharif’s Context
Homi K. Bhabha’s concept of the Third Space, introduced in The Location of Culture (1994), offers a critical lens for understanding cultural hybridity and resistance in postcolonial texts. Bhabha describes the Third Space as an in-between zone that emerges from the collision of colonial and indigenous cultures, where fixed identities are disrupted, and new forms of meaning are negotiated (Bhabha, 1994). This interstitial space is not merely a physical or geographical location but a discursive site where cultural differences are articulated and contested. In the context of Solmaz Sharif’s Customs, the Third Space becomes particularly relevant as her poetry grapples with the experiences of displacement, migration, and the legacies of imperial violence, often tied to her Iranian-American identity.
Sharif’s work in Customs resonates with Bhabha’s idea of hybridity as she navigates the tension between her cultural roots and the imposed frameworks of Western discourse. For instance, her poems frequently address the bureaucratic and militaristic language of borders and citizenship—customs in both a literal and metaphorical sense—highlighting the liminality of her position as neither fully inside nor outside dominant cultural narratives. This liminality aligns with Bhabha’s assertion that the Third Space enables the emergence of “something different, something new and unrecognizable” (Bhabha, 1994, p. 211). Thus, Sharif’s poetry does not merely inhabit the Third Space but actively constructs it through her textual practices, challenging the reader to reconsider fixed notions of identity and belonging.
Linguistic Strategies as Textual Practice in Customs
One of the central ways Sharif constructs the Third Space in Customs is through her innovative use of language, which serves as both a site of oppression and a tool for resistance. Her earlier work, Look (2016), famously repurposed military terminology to critique the dehumanization embedded in such discourse, and this linguistic focus continues in Customs. In the poem “America,” Sharif employs fragmented syntax and stark imagery to evoke the dissonance of living between cultures. Lines such as “I live in a water / I did not choose” (Sharif, 2021, p. 14) reflect a sense of involuntary immersion in a foreign environment, where language itself becomes a fluid, uncontainable boundary. This mirrors Bhabha’s notion of the Third Space as a site of enunciation, where meaning is unstable and constantly renegotiated (Bhabha, 1994).
Furthermore, Sharif’s use of naming and renaming in Customs underscores the power dynamics inherent in linguistic control, a key concern within the Third Space. In the poem “Beauty,” she writes, “They asked for my name and I gave it / though I knew the cost” (Sharif, 2021, p. 23). Here, the act of naming is tied to surveillance and subjugation, yet Sharif’s deliberate invocation of this act in her poetry reclaims agency, turning a site of oppression into one of resistance. As Rutherford (1990) notes, the Third Space often emerges through such acts of translation and reinterpretation, where subaltern voices disrupt hegemonic narratives (Rutherford, 1990). Sharif’s textual practice, therefore, constructs the Third Space not as a passive in-between but as an active, contested zone of meaning-making.
Cultural Negotiation and Resistance in Customs
Beyond linguistic strategies, Sharif’s Customs also represents the Third Space through its engagement with cultural negotiation and resistance. Her poems frequently juxtaposition personal memory with collective trauma, reflecting the diasporic experience of inhabiting multiple cultural realities simultaneously. In “Dear Aleph,” a series of epistolary poems, Sharif addresses an absent figure—potentially a symbol of lost heritage or language—writing, “I carry you in the letters / I cannot send” (Sharif, 2021, p. 38). This interplay of presence and absence evokes the hybrid nature of the Third Space, where cultural identity is neither fully preserved nor entirely erased but exists in a state of flux. Such representations align with Bhabha’s view that cultural hybridity challenges the “purity” of national or ethnic identities (Bhabha, 1994).
Moreover, Sharif’s poetry critiques the material and psychological borders imposed by systems of power, a recurring theme in postcolonial literature. In “Visa,” she explores the physical and symbolic implications of crossing borders, noting, “The stamp is a wound / I wear as proof” (Sharif, 2021, p. 47). This visceral imagery highlights how the Third Space is not merely a theoretical abstraction but a lived reality shaped by systemic violence and exclusion. As Soja (1996) argues in his discussion of spatial theory, such liminal spaces often become sites of radical critique, enabling marginalized voices to challenge dominant structures (Soja, 1996). Sharif’s textual practice in Customs, therefore, uses the Third Space to expose and resist the cultural and political forces that seek to fix identities into rigid categories.
Arguably, this resistance is most evident in Sharif’s refusal to provide easy resolutions or assimilated narratives. Her poems often end on notes of ambiguity, reflecting the unresolved tensions of the Third Space. In “Social Skills Training,” she writes, “I learned to smile / at the right times / but not why” (Sharif, 2021, p. 55), suggesting a superficial adaptation to cultural norms without genuine belonging. This ambiguity underscores the complexity of hybridity, where cultural negotiation does not always lead to harmony but rather to a persistent state of questioning and redefinition.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Solmaz Sharif’s Customs constructs and represents the Third Space as a textual practice through its innovative use of language, cultural imagery, and thematic focus on resistance. By drawing on Homi K. Bhabha’s framework, this essay has demonstrated how Sharif’s poetry embodies the hybrid, interstitial nature of the Third Space, using linguistic fragmentation and the politics of naming to challenge binary constructs of identity. Close readings of poems such as “America,” “Beauty,” and “Visa” reveal how Sharif negotiates the tensions of displacement and diaspora, turning the act of writing into a form of cultural critique. Furthermore, her refusal to offer resolved narratives highlights the ongoing, dynamic nature of the Third Space as a site of contestation. The implications of Sharif’s approach extend beyond her individual work, contributing to broader discussions in postcolonial and diasporic literature about the role of language and memory in reshaping cultural identities. While this analysis has focused on specific textual strategies, future research might explore how Sharif’s Third Space intersects with other theoretical frameworks, such as trauma studies or feminist poetics, to further illuminate the complexities of her poetry. Ultimately, Customs stands as a powerful testament to the transformative potential of the Third Space, both as a lived experience and as a textual practice.
References
- Bhabha, H. K. (1994) The Location of Culture. Routledge.
- Rutherford, J. (1990) The Third Space: Interview with Homi Bhabha. In: Derso, H. (ed.) Identity: Community, Culture, Difference. Lawrence & Wishart, pp. 207-221.
- Sharif, S. (2021) Customs. Graywolf Press.
- Soja, E. W. (1996) Thirdspace: Journeys to Los Angeles and Other Real-and-Imagined Places. Blackwell Publishing.
