Exploring Third Space: Place and Memory in Meena Alexander's Memoir and Poems
Hessa A. Alghadeer

Abstract
This paper seeks to explore the concept of hybridity in two influential literary works of the contemporary South Asian American writer, Meena Alexander (1951- ).The paper examines how far Alexander articulates, negotiates, and defines her hybrid identities within what Bhabha calls 'the third space' in the contexts of two different literary genres; her memoir Fault Lines (1993), along with other selected poetic texts. Throughout mixing two genres, autobiography and poetry, the paper attempts to investigate the impact of the migrant minority experience on Alexander's journey of self identification and argues that regardless of their differences, these two genres address a similar predicament. As examined through the lens of migration consciousness, the paper focuses on two characteristic themes; place and memory to explore how Alexander's hybrid selves are manipulated. Eventually, the study not only brings to light the aesthetic features of hybridity, but also situates Alexander as a significant literary voice of multiple cultures and migrations.

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