different theoretical approaches that Homi K Bhabha an Gayatri Spivak have used to theorise the colonial
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Homi K. Bhabha and Gayatri C. Spivak, together with Edward W. Said, "make up what Robert Young descibes as " the Holy Trinity" of postcolonial critics who have achieved the greatest eminence in their field." (Bart Moore-Gilbert in Schwartz and Ray 2000:451) In this essay I intend to discuss their different, yet somewhat similar approaches to theorising the colonial Other. Both Bhabha and Spivak's work acknowledge the writing of Said and make use of Derrida's theory of deconstruction, however, Spivak focuses on the subaltern and devotes substantial time to discussing women while Bhabha's "others" are more general. Then I intend to examine some of the advantages and limitations each approach involves.
Homi K. Bhabha's Commitment to Theory takes the basis of its influence from Jaques Derrida's theory of deconstruction. Derrida sought to break down binary oppositions: "a pair of contrasted terms, each of which depends on the other for its meaning...