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THIRD SPACE: AN INTERCULTURAL NEGOTIATION OF SOUTH ÁSIAN DIASPORA IN CANADA
member, the spaces outside his/her/their "home" (diasporic communities),
rooted in the mainstream discourses of their host society is the Second Space.
These discourses are seen in the Canadian context, as cultures relating to art,
cuisine, literature, humour, politics, religion, history and social influences
grounded in European traditions, especially British and French” with a mass¬
media highly influenced by imports from America. Such influence arguably
contributes further to a North American identity over a Canadian one.
In the South Asian diaspora’s movement away from their “First Space” to the
“Second Space”, the diasporic member often feels lost, homesick and isolated.
They choose to enter these spaces to participate in the exchange of services,
labour and commercial activities. However, there is an insecurity in accessing
cultural and social spheres. Psychological studies see these insecurities as
a contributing factor to “cultural bereavement.”'? The bereavement of first¬
generation immigrants is often difficulties expressing their corresponding
South Asian socio-linguistic and cultural identities. Observably leading
to a cautionary cognitive behaviour when accessing mainstream cultural
spaces of their Western host societies. Contributing reasons are language
and cultural barriers on both spectra. This makes up the “home-work”
relationship between ethnic minorities and their Western host societies
— the duality “First Space” and “Second Space” in the study of minority¬
mainstream cultures. This host-hostee dynamic is often echoed in ethnic and
diasporic media and other forms of expressions seen as “third media.” Apart
from aid in the cost associated with initial immigration and other financial
support, the social capital of the South Asian minority is a kinship network:
comprising of friends and family, filling in emotional and socio-psychological
needs.!f The absence of this kinship network in the Second Space of their
host societies for many first-generation immigrants means seclusion within
the First Space. This can lead to an integration process that doesn't require
active social, cultural and English/French language learning. Arguably,
the lack of non-essential intercultural encounters in both cultural and social
terms also restricts the actors in the Second Space from being aware of
multidimensional South Asian minority identities. This becomes a crucial
factor in intercultural communication lapses due to the lack of meaningful
cultural exchange between ethnic minorities and mainstream identities.
Sana Loue — Martha Sajatovic (eds.), Encyclopedia of Immigrant Health, New York, Springer,
2011, 337.
Dinesh Bhugra et al., Cultural Bereavement, Culture Shock and Culture Conflict: Adjust¬
ments and Reactions, in: Dinesh Bhugra — Susham Gupta (eds.), Migration and Mental
Health, Cambridge, Cambridge University, 2010, 139-148.
Cecilia Menjivar, Immigrant Kinship Networks and the Impact of the Receiving Context:
Salvadorans in San Francisco in the Early 1990s, Social Problems, Vol. 44, No. 1 (1997),
104-123.
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