The Space In-Between: Essays on Latin American Culture - Paperback

by Silviano Santiago (Author), Ana Lucia Gazzola (Translator)

Silviano Santiago has been a pioneer in the development of concepts crucial to the discourse of contemporary critical and cultural theory, especially postcolonial theory. The notions of "hybridity" and "the space in-between" have been so completely absorbed into current theory that few scholars even realize these terms began with Santiago. He was the first to introduce poststructuralist thought to Brazil--via his publication of the Glossario de Derrida and his role as a prominent teacher. The Space In-Between translates many of his seminal essays into English for the first time and, in the process, introduces the thought of one of Brazil's foremost critics and theorists of the late twentieth century.
Santiago's work creates a theoretical field that transcends both the study of a specific national literature and the traditional perspectives of comparative literature. He examines the pedagogical and modernizing mission of Western voyagers from the conquistadors to the present. He deconstructs the ideas of "original" and "copy," unpacking their implications for the notions of so-called dominant and dominated cultures. Santiago also confronts questions of cultural dependency and analyzes the problems involved in the imposition of an alien European history, the cultural displacements experienced by the Indians through their religious conversion, and the hierarchical suppression of native and Afro-Brazilian values.
Elegantly written and translated, The Space In-Between will provide insights and perspectives that will interest cultural and literary theorists, postcolonial scholars, and other students of contemporary culture.

Back Jacket

These essays constitute a refreshing approach to cultural and literary studies by the most courageous and forward-thinking critic in Brazil. Silviano Santiago's breadth of knowledge and critical acumen stem from the erudition and perspicacity of a highly intelligent mind.--Nelson H. Vieira, Brown University

Author Biography

Silviano Santiago is Professor of Brazilian Literature at the Universidade Federal Fluminense in Niterói. He is a novelist, poet, translator, and theorist whose books include the novel Stella Manhattan, also published by Duke University Press.