Out There

Out There addresses the theme of cultural marginalization - the process wherebyvarious groups are excluded from access to and participation in the dominant culture. It engagesfundamental issues raised by attempts to define such concepts as mainstream, minority, and "other,"and opens up new ways of thinking about culture and representation. All of the texts deal withquestions of representation in the broadest sense, encompassing not just the visual but also thesocial and psychological aspects of cultural identity.Included are important theoretical writings byHomi Bhabha, Helene Cixous, Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari, and Monique Wittig. Their work isjuxtaposed with essays on more overtly personal themes, often autobiographical, by Gloria Anzaldua,Bell Hooks, and Richard Rodriguez, among others.This rich anthology brings together voices from manydifferent marginalized groups - groups that are often isolated from each other as well as from thedominant culture. It joins issues of gender, race, sexual preference, and class in one forum butwithout imposing a false unity on the diverse cultures represented. Each piece in the book subtlychanges the way every other piece is read.While several essays focus on specific issues in art, suchas John Yau's piece on Wilfredo Lam in the Museum of Modern Art, or James Clifford's on collectingart, others draw from debates in literature, film, and critical theory to provide a much broadercontext than is usually found in work aimed at an art audience. Topics range from the functions oflanguage to the role of public art in the city, from gay pornography to the meanings of black hairstyles.Out There also includes essays by Rosalyn Deutsche, Richard Dyer, Kobena Mercer, Edward Said,Gayatri Spivak, Gerald Vizenor and Simon Watney, as well as by the editors.Copublished with the NewMuseum of Contemporary Art, New York Distributed by The MIT Press.