ABSTRACT
Unlike hybridity, a term that has been used frequently in architectural history
and theory, the terms pedagogical and performative, which Bhabha uses in his
critique of the nation, have not had a great deal of impact on contemporary
architectural debates. However, much like hybridity and the Third Space, the
pedagogical and the performative offer ample opportunity to address some
crucial aspects which have received comparatively less attention in architectural
studies. Amongst such aspects is the way in which colonial cities have been
historicised and, more recently, the way in which architectural informality in
cities throughout the world (slums, squatter settlements and so on) has – or,
rather, has not – been studied by architects and historians. These are only two
examples of the many thematic areas where Bhabha’s discussion of the
pedagogical and the performative may help to advance discussions on
contemporary architecture.
