Essentialism, hybridism and cultural critique

Transgression concepts - such as ‘hybridity', ‘diaspora', ‘creolization', ‘transculturalization'and ‘syncretism' - have to an increasing extent become key concepts in various attempts at escaping the problems of suppression and exclusion involved in notions of purity - be it the purity of race, culture or whatever. The purpose of focusing on concepts of transgression is usually to try to develop conceptual spaces within which it is possible to grasp and to study cultural identity without resorting to cultural essentialism. These attempts open up new possibilities but also new problems - e.g. they are being criticised for being elitist and for reproducing the very idea of cultural purity that they are meant to transcend