Selected subaltern studies edited by ranajit guha and gayatri chakravorty spivak delhi. Spivak wrote, subaltern historiography raises questions of method that would prevent it from using such a ruse. Nationalist politics in south india 191937 delhi, 1977, and a forthcoming monograph on the history of the police in colonial india. Strategic essentialism literary theory and criticism. Peter gran argues, for instance, that in india, subaltern studies is read against liberalism, marxism, and religious fascism, whereas in the us, its. Translators preface and afterword to mahasweta devi, imaginary maps 1994 11. World history is, however, a powerful countertendency. The subaltern is a person or a group of people that have been excluded from society. From mughal to british encounters and calamities gyanendra pandey. May 01, 2014 the subaltern s contemporary usage in cultural and political theory dates from the rise of the subaltern studies group, who redefined the term to describe the subordinated population of the south asian subcontinent on the basis of their distance from economic and political elites and who developed an antiimperial historiography from the point.
They reexamine wellknown historical and political events. This tension is most clearly illustrated in the divergent conceptions of the subaltern contained in ranajit guhas opening essay that introduced subaltern studies to the world, and gayatri spivaks deconstructing historiography, initially published in volume iv. Gayatri chakravorty spivaks essay subaltern studies. In this essay, she vindicated the limitations of the subalterns, asking can the subaltern speak.
Deconstructing historiography gayatri chakravorty spivak. Deconstructing historiography, in ranajit guha ed, subaltern studies, vol. Ranajit guha and subaltern studies university of warwick. In her longawaited book on cultural theory, gayatri chakravorty spivak analyzes the relationship between language, women, and culture in both western and nonwestern contexts. The spivak reader edited by donna landry and gerald maclean. Postcolonialsubaltern studies see also marxist section below. Subaltern is a word used by the british army to denote a subordinate officer, and subaltern studies was coined by indian scholars to describe a variety of approaches to the situation of south asia, in particular in the colonial and postcolonial era. Deconstructing historiography, in subaltern studies iv 1985, p 330. They do not have a voice, and are lost in the world due to assimilation and colonialism.
Analyzing texts produced by the writers who belong to the countries which were once colonized by british 1. Bengal 1963, guha edited the first six subaltern studies volumes. In other worlds considers questions of theory across a broad spectrum what, for example, does pluralism mean. They reexamine wellknown historical and political events, such as gandhis role in india, from a marxist. Selected subaltern studies edited by ranajit guha and gayatri chakravorty spivak foreword by edward said. Gayatri chakravorty spivak some of the most radical criticism coming out of the west today is the result of an interested desire to conserve the subject of the west, or the west as subject. Subaltern historiography exceeds itself because it represents the first intellectually organized, cohesive, and structured critique of and intervention into the growing failures of the postcolonial nationstate. This provocative volume presents the most wideranging essays from the first five volumes of subaltern studies, along with an introductory essay by gayatri chakravorty spivakthe translator of derridas of grammatology into englishand a foreword by eminent critic edward w. The terms subaltern and subaltern studies entered the vocabulary of postcolonialism through the works of the subaltern studies group of historians who explored the politicalactor role of the men and women who constitute the mass population, rather than reexplore the politicalactor roles of the social and economic elites in the history of india. The book selected subaltern studies penned by ranajit guha and gayatri chakravorty spivak throws light on the historical aspects of the subaltern studies right from its origin and development. Writings an south asian history and society, ranajit guha, editor. Routledge classic 2002, selected subaltern studies ed. This is also the way spivak uses deconstruction, for example, without fully subscribing to it as a.
Spivak means the oppressed subjects or more generally those of inferior rank 283. In deconstructing historiography, spivak expresses her opposition to colonialism, and describes it as a change from semifeudalism into capitalist subjection spivak. The very word subaltern has got a lot of significances and the writers have made an attempt to trace the reasons and causes for their plight. Addressed to students and scholars throughout the humanities, these essays address what antonio gramscithe. Strategic essentialism by nasrullah mambrol on april 9, 2016 1. Origin and historiography of subaltern studies from the w est to the. She is a university professor at columbia university and a founding member of the establishments institute for comparative literature and society. Subaltern studies, deconstructing historiography pdf document. Deconstructing historiography, posits that although essentialism is highly problematic for the knowledge it creates about the other, there is sometimes a political and social need for what she calls strategic essentialism. Ranajit guha and subaltern studies today im going to talk about the indian historian ranajit guha and the historiographical project associated with him, subaltern studies. The subalterns contemporary usage in cultural and political theory dates from the rise of the subaltern studies group, who redefined the term to describe the subordinated population of the south asian subcontinent on the basis of their distance from economic and political elites and who developed an antiimperial historiography from the point. Vinayaraj representation is first and foremost an act of performance, bringing forth in the mode of staging something which in itself is not a given.
Writings on south asian history and society, edited by ranajit guha, 203235. This provocative volume presents the most wideranging essays from the first five volumes of subaltern studies, along with an introductory essay by gayatri chakravorty spivak the translator of derridas of grammatology into englishand a foreword by eminent critic edward w. Ranajit guha, gayatri chakravorty spivak, dipesh chakravarty eng. Subaltern studies and postcolonial historiography libcom. Considered one of the most influential postcolonial intellectuals, spivak is best. Basically potcolonialism involves the following points. Gayatri chakravorty spivak born 24 february 1942 is an indian scholar, literary theorist, and feminist critic. Studies iv 1985 david arnold is a lecturer in history at the university of lancaster.
Apr 09, 2016 home literary criticism strategic essentialism. Selected subaltern studies edited by ranajit guha and gayatri chakravorty spivak foreword by edward said these essays selected from the first five volumes of subaltern studies, focus on what antonio gramscithe founder of the italian communist partycalled the subaltern classes. An understanding of contemporary relations of power, and of the western intellectuals role within them, re quires an examination of the intersection of a theory of representation and the political economy of global capi talism. This took the form of twelve edited volumes of historical scholarship, mainly on the history of colonial india, which were published between 1982 and 2005, the. The theory of pluralized subjecteffects gives an illusion of. The subaltern female is even more deeply in this shadow. The subaltern school of historiography 25 talks about that section of society which has been hegemonized by the elite. He has studied pps precepts and principles in filipino, before putting the school of thought under scrutiny. Deconstructing historiography introduces the volume and edward said, professor of english and comparative literature at columbia has. Her consciousness is ignored and unacknowledged and subsumed by masculine radicalism so that she is a historically muted subplot. Spivak proposes a theory of subalternity in her essay can the subaltern speak. She goes on to add that in the context of colonial production, the subaltern has no history and cannot speak, the subaltern as female is even more deeply in shadow 287. Scattered speculations on the subaltern and the popular.
Spivak means the oppressed subjects or more generally. Gayatri chakravorty spivak can the subaltern speak. Subaltern studiesand historiography colonialismwasaregressiveforcethatdistortedalldevelopmentsinindias societyandpolity. The subaltern studies group, for example, succeeds in unraveling official indian history by particularizing its narrative. Gayatri chakravorty spivak and oscar guardiolarivera in conversation duration. Postcolonial text, vol 9, no 3 2014 writingreading the. Guhas attack on indian historiography is not, to amend gayatri spivaks terms, fully containable to. Critiques of subaltern studies partly due to its inception as a new school that was intentionally positioned between existing paradigms, subaltern studies has been the subject of ongoing debate. Deconstructing historiography follows her analysis of problems in the project to retrieve the subaltern consciousness by asserting a strategic use of positivist essentialism in a scrupulously visible political interest.
Recovering the subject subaltern studies and histories of resistance in colonial south asia subaltern studies. Spivak develops an original integration of powerful contemporary methodologies deconstruction, marxism, and feminism turning this new model on major debates in the study of literature and culture. Handbook of cultural sociology routledge handbooks. Gayatri chakravorty spivak s essay subaltern studies. Subaltern studies until 1988, when guha retired from the team. These essays selected from the first five volumes of subaltern studies, focus on what antonio gramscithe founder of the italian communist partycalled the subaltern classes. Forsters a passage to india and amitav ghoshs the shadow lines, in english, august, the protagonists frustrated desire for homosociality4 with other men produces the novels lack of narrative momentum. Postcolonial subaltern studies see also marxist section below. It appears your web browser is not configured to display pdf files. Guha continues, however, to publish in subaltern studies, now under an expanded and reconstituted editorial collective.
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