A Space of Intersections

The purpose of this study was to explore the cultural dimensions of the UC San Diego Women’s Center through the lens of Third Space Theory, and to understand how actual users engage in the space. In bringing together the elements of safety, belonging, and social justice, the Women’s Center creates an environment that promotes the wellness of the community of activists who frequent the space, as well as the positive well-being of all its users. The Women’s Center expands Davie’s (2002) concept of a delicate balance between “binding wounds” and “changing the world,” creating a space in which the act of healing wounds facilitates the work of changing the world. In this way a new third space is created which rejects the dualism of the public/private divide and enacts innovative forms of feminism and activism.