10.6 Subaltern studies

Subaltern studies emerged in the 1980s as a critical approach to history and social sciences. It challenges dominant narratives by focusing on marginalized groups' experiences, offering a postcolonial critique of power relations and knowledge production.

Originating in South Asia, subaltern studies draws on Antonio Gramsci's concept of the "subaltern." It aims to rewrite history from below, recovering voices of peasants, workers, and women in colonial and postcolonial contexts, while critiquing Eurocentric assumptions in academia.

Origins of subaltern studies

• Subaltern studies emerged as a critical approach to history and social sciences in the 1980s, challenging dominant narratives and focusing on the experiences of marginalized groups
• Originated in South Asia but has since expanded to other regions and disciplines, offering a postcolonial critique of power relations and knowledge production

Gramsci's influence

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  Theoretical Perspectives of Race and Ethnicity | Introduction to Sociology View original

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  Theoretical Perspectives of Race and Ethnicity | Introduction to Sociology View original

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  Gramscian 'Counter hegemony' in Narendra Modi's New India Perspective | Space and Culture, India View original

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• Draws on Italian Marxist theorist Antonio Gramsci's concept of the "subaltern," referring to subordinate groups excluded from hegemonic power structures
• Gramsci emphasized the role of culture and ideology in maintaining social hierarchy, inspiring subaltern studies scholars to examine the agency and resistance of oppressed groups
• Adapted Gramsci's ideas to the postcolonial context, exploring the complexities of subaltern consciousness and political action

South Asian historians

• Pioneered by a group of South Asian historians, including Ranajit Guha, Partha Chatterjee, and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, who sought to rewrite history from below
• Challenged elitist and nationalist historiography that marginalized the experiences of peasants, workers, women, and other subaltern groups in colonial and postcolonial India
• Aimed to recover subaltern voices and perspectives through innovative archival research and theoretical interventions

Postcolonial critique

• Situated within the broader field of postcolonial studies, which examines the cultural, political, and economic legacies of colonialism and imperialism
• Critiques Eurocentric and universalist assumptions in social sciences and humanities, emphasizing the need for alternative epistemologies and methodologies
• Engages with questions of representation, subjectivity, and power relations in the production of knowledge about the Global South

Key concepts in subaltern studies

Subaltern identity

• Refers to the subordinate status of certain groups within a society, based on factors such as class, caste, gender, race, ethnicity, or religion
• Subaltern identities are constructed through complex processes of domination and resistance, shaped by historical and cultural contexts
• Subaltern studies scholars explore how subaltern groups negotiate their identities and assert their agency in the face of oppressive structures

Hegemony vs resistance

• Hegemony refers to the dominant ideology and power relations that shape social, political, and economic life, often through consent rather than coercion
• Resistance encompasses the various ways in which subaltern groups challenge, subvert, or negotiate hegemonic structures and discourses
• Subaltern studies examines the dialectical relationship between hegemony and resistance, highlighting the agency and creativity of subaltern actors

Recovering marginalized voices

• Subaltern studies aims to recover the voices, experiences, and perspectives of marginalized groups that have been silenced or overlooked in dominant historical narratives
• Involves a critical re-reading of archival sources, oral histories, and cultural texts to uncover subaltern agency and resistance
• Challenges the notion of a singular, homogeneous subaltern identity, emphasizing the diversity and complexity of subaltern experiences

Subaltern studies methodology

Archival research

• Subaltern studies scholars engage in extensive archival research, often reading colonial and nationalist archives against the grain to uncover subaltern voices and perspectives
• Involves a critical interrogation of the power dynamics and biases embedded in archival sources, which often privilege elite and official narratives
• Seeks to reconstruct subaltern histories through fragmentary and dispersed evidence, such as police records, court cases, and administrative documents

Oral history

• Oral history methods are used to collect and analyze the stories, memories, and experiences of subaltern groups that may not be represented in written archives
• Provides a means of accessing subaltern subjectivities and perspectives, often revealing alternative narratives and forms of knowledge
• Requires a reflexive and collaborative approach, acknowledging the power dynamics between researchers and participants and the role of memory and storytelling in shaping historical accounts

Textual analysis

• Subaltern studies scholars engage in close textual analysis of a wide range of sources, including literary works, popular culture, and media representations
• Examines how subaltern identities and experiences are constructed, represented, or silenced in cultural texts and discourses
• Draws on insights from literary theory, cultural studies, and discourse analysis to unpack the ideological and symbolic dimensions of texts and their relationship to power relations

Subaltern studies in India

Peasant insurgencies

• Early subaltern studies focused on peasant insurgencies and rebellions in colonial India, such as the 1857 Revolt and the Telangana uprising
• Challenged dominant interpretations that dismissed peasant resistance as spontaneous, irrational, or pre-political, instead highlighting the agency and consciousness of peasant actors
• Examined the complex dynamics of class, caste, and gender in shaping peasant politics and the role of cultural and religious idioms in mobilizing resistance

Caste and class

• Subaltern studies scholars have explored the intersections of caste and class in shaping subaltern identities and experiences in India
• Examined how caste hierarchies and discrimination have been reproduced and challenged through colonial and postcolonial histories
• Analyzed the role of caste in shaping labor relations, political mobilization, and cultural practices among subaltern groups

Gender and subalternity

• Subaltern studies has increasingly engaged with questions of gender and the experiences of women as subaltern subjects
• Examined how gender intersects with other forms of social hierarchy and oppression, such as caste, class, and religion
• Explored the agency and resistance of women in various contexts, such as anti-colonial nationalism, labor movements, and popular culture

Subaltern studies beyond India

Latin American subaltern studies

• Subaltern studies has been adapted and applied to the study of marginalized groups in Latin America, such as indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants, and peasants
• Examined the legacies of colonialism, racism, and inequality in shaping subaltern identities and experiences in the region
• Explored the role of popular movements, cultural practices, and alternative forms of knowledge production in challenging dominant power structures

African subaltern studies

• Subaltern studies approaches have been used to study the experiences of subaltern groups in Africa, such as women, workers, and ethnic minorities
• Examined the impact of colonialism, nationalism, and globalization on subaltern identities and struggles in different African contexts
• Highlighted the agency and creativity of African subaltern actors in negotiating and resisting oppressive structures and discourses

Subaltern studies in the West

• Subaltern studies insights have been applied to the study of marginalized groups in Western contexts, such as racial and ethnic minorities, immigrants, and the working class
• Examined how subaltern identities and experiences are shaped by histories of racism, colonialism, and capitalism in Europe and North America
• Explored the role of social movements, cultural practices, and alternative forms of knowledge production in challenging dominant power structures and discourses

Critiques of subaltern studies

Essentialism and identity

• Some critics argue that subaltern studies tends to essentialize subaltern identities and experiences, treating them as homogeneous and fixed categories
• Raises questions about the politics of representation and the risk of speaking for or romanticizing subaltern subjects
• Calls for a more nuanced and intersectional approach that recognizes the diversity and fluidity of subaltern identities and experiences

Romanticizing resistance

• Critics suggest that subaltern studies sometimes romanticizes or idealizes subaltern resistance, overlooking its limitations, contradictions, and unintended consequences
• Argues for a more critical and contextualized analysis of resistance that recognizes its complex and ambivalent nature
• Highlights the need to examine the structural and material constraints that shape subaltern agency and political action

Neglect of political economy

• Some critics argue that subaltern studies has tended to prioritize cultural and ideological factors over political and economic structures in analyzing subaltern experiences
• Calls for a more materialist approach that examines the role of class relations, state power, and global capitalism in shaping subaltern lives and struggles
• Suggests the need for a more integrated analysis that connects cultural and economic dimensions of subalternity

Influence on postcolonial theory

Subaltern agency

• Subaltern studies has been influential in shaping postcolonial theories of agency, resistance, and subjectivity
• Emphasizes the capacity of subaltern groups to act and speak for themselves, challenging dominant assumptions about their passivity or lack of consciousness
• Explores the complex and contradictory nature of subaltern agency, shaped by both domination and resistance

Hybridity and mimicry

• Subaltern studies has contributed to postcolonial theories of hybridity and mimicry, which examine the cultural and psychological effects of colonialism on subaltern subjects
• Explores how subaltern groups negotiate and subvert colonial discourses and practices through selective appropriation, adaptation, and resistance
• Highlights the ambivalent and unstable nature of colonial identities and power relations

Orientalism and representation

• Subaltern studies has engaged with Edward Said's critique of Orientalism and the politics of representation in colonial and postcolonial contexts
• Examines how subaltern subjects are constructed and represented in dominant discourses and cultural practices, often in stereotypical and essentialist ways
• Explores the possibilities and limitations of subaltern self-representation and the role of intellectuals in speaking for or about subaltern groups

Subaltern studies and political praxis

Grassroots movements

• Subaltern studies insights have been applied to the study and support of grassroots movements and struggles by marginalized groups around the world
• Examines how subaltern groups mobilize and organize to challenge oppressive structures and demand social justice and equality
• Explores the role of cultural practices, alternative forms of knowledge, and collective action in shaping subaltern political praxis

Decolonization struggles

• Subaltern studies has been influential in shaping theories and practices of decolonization, which seek to challenge and dismantle the legacies of colonialism and imperialism
• Examines how subaltern groups have been involved in anti-colonial struggles and postcolonial nation-building projects, often in complex and contradictory ways
• Explores the possibilities and limitations of decolonization as a political and cultural project, and the ongoing challenges of neo-colonialism and globalization

Subaltern knowledge production

• Subaltern studies emphasizes the importance of recognizing and valuing subaltern forms of knowledge and epistemologies that have been marginalized or suppressed by dominant power structures
• Explores how subaltern groups produce and transmit knowledge through oral traditions, cultural practices, and embodied experiences
• Calls for a more inclusive and pluralistic approach to knowledge production that challenges the hegemony of Western and elite forms of knowledge and expertise