In The Hypothesis of Cultural Third Places, University of Grenoble professor Raphaël Besson details the birth of cultural third spaces from changes in societal standards in sharing information as discussed in an earlier seminar. In order to convey his argument that cultural third spaces are forming and the validity of their existence, he presents the hypothesis effectively in a logical structure that introduces each component that constitutes a cultural third space and provides multiple examples. I agree with most of these examples and find the goal of a potential cultural third space to be intriguing, and with the example of a boba shop, I believe it opens up another facet of discussion in Besson’s concerns.
Cultural Places with the Rise of Technology
“Many cultural places are being transformed through the mutations of digital world, reduced public financing and the rise of the knowledge-based economy.”
To introduce and define modern cultural spaces, Besson recognizes their evolution in relation to technology, which also gives context to his hypothesis of cultural third spaces. Besson acknowledges the growth in technology and observes how cultural spaces have adapted to it, and provides multiple examples of places around the globe that support this idea. Many of his observations and examples describe the current state of cultural spaces well as many places he describes are factual and well explained, which enhances the understanding of the cultural component of cultural third spaces before fully diving into the hypothesis. While these examples are helpful in showing what a cultural space can be, the amount of examples towards the end can seem excessive, as it borders on being just a list without explanations in comparison to before. Hence, I believe it would strengthen the overall article and presentation of the argument to lessen the amount of examples, or to explain them more in depth to connect with the subject of cultural third spaces directly from the beginning rather than completely introduce it in the middle.
Cultural Third Places
“Cultural third places promote a culture of experimentation, staging and coproduction of knowledges and cultures.”
TAs Besson begins to explain the basis of the hypothesis for cultural third spaces, he gives a brief description of the goal of third spaces and where the term came from. This is a great segue into cultural third spaces as it relates how third spaces are places for people to socialize and connect in an everyday space to the earlier ideas of cultural places being spaces for people to share cultural knowledge and connect with others.
Do Boba Shops Need Validation to be Cultural Third Spaces?
I believe Besson’s discourse of the existence of cultural third spaces is completely accurate, however, I don’t see the questions he poses at the end as necessarily issues that have to be investigated in order to validate an existence of a cultural third space. It seems that the places he focuses on are larger scale establishments such as museums and university cultural centers, which in doing so, fails to draw attention to smaller spaces such as a simple boba shop.
Third spaces seek to provide an easy, social component to our lives as a middle ground between the intimacy of our homes and the colder, professional atmosphere of work, and to bring in a cultural aspect is only natural at this point. Boba shops are an example of a cultural third space as it achieves the goal of being a place where people can enjoy others’ company and learn about another culture and the boba drink itself can have a rich cultural appeal.
Besson’s concerns about the role of cultural third places on social life, long term risks, and overall success are all legitimate questions to raise, however, I don’t believe that a cultural third space needs to be fully investigated before being considered one. With the example of boba shops earlier, we would not be able to answer all the issues because some don’t simply apply yet, such as long term risks since boba is still quite young in this era. As long as these smaller places align with the goal and intents of a cultural third space, then the hypothesis of their existence is already proven. They don’t necessarily diminish the value of the larger third spaces and centers like museums, but rather act as an addition to enhance it, so there shouldn’t be concerns in validating or invalidating cultural third spaces. Ultimately,
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