Instead of seeing colonialism as something locked in the past, Bhabha shows how its histories and cultures constantly intrude on the present, demanding that we transform our understanding of cross-cultural relations.
I stedet for at se kolonialisme som et fænomen der udelukkende tilhører fortiden, viser Bhabha hvordan koloniale historier og kulturer konstant bryder ind i nutiden og forlanger, at vi ændrer vores forståelse af tværkulturelle relationer.