Homi Bhabha's Location of Culture

Reading Homi Bhabha’s Location of Culture to pass the time while waiting the cable guy this morning, I was struck by a question posed by Bhabha.

Bhabha asks “are the interests of ‘Western’ theory necessarily collusive with the hegemonic role of the West as a power bloc? Is the language of theory merely another power ploy of the culturally privileged Western elite to produce a discourse of the Other that reinforces its own power-knowledge equation?” (Bhabha, Location of Culture, pg. 20-21)

This is the same exact question that has plagued me since starting my research into Contemporary Chinese Art. Throughout my research for my thesis, I have applied the language of Western theory such as Stuart Hall, Derrida,Foucault among others, to my analysis of Contemporary Chinese Art. In doing so, I have felt as if I am using an inadequate system of theoretical critique. Does my use of Western theory to analysis Chinese art “produce a discourse of the Other that reinforces its own power-knowledge equation?” I am not sure I know the answer to this question but the best answer at this juncture I can give is that the aim of my thesis is to discuss the perception of Chinese Contemporary Art in the West and therefore perhaps it is appropriate to place Chinese Contemporary Art within the theoretical frameworks of the West. I do not view my project as an assertion of Western power or knowledge but as an exploration of Contemporary Chinese Art in the global context. Either way I think it is important for me to consider this question as I continue my research.