Within the effaced itinerary of the subaltern subject, the track of sexual difference is doubly effected. ... If, in the context of colonial production, the subaltern has no history and cannot speak, the subaltern as female is even more deeply in shadow. . . .

What does Can the Subaltern Speak say?

Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak's original essay "Can the Subaltern Speak?" transformed the analysis of colonialism through an eloquent and uncompromising argument that affirmed the contemporary relevance of Marxism while using deconstructionist methods to explore the international division of labor and capitalism's " ...

Can the subaltern speak language?

Actually the subaltern can indeed speak, but they cannot be heard. Furthermore, once they can speak they are not subalterns any more (Spivak Post-Colonial Critic 158). Nevertheless, this aporia does not abstain intellectuals' responsibility from representation.

Can the subaltern speak detailed summary?

In the text “can the subaltern speak” she tries to overthrow the binary opposition between subject and object, self and other, Occident and Orient, center and marginal and the majority and minority. She introduces the question of gender and sexual difference in the work.

What does Spivak mean by Subalternity?

Fundamental to Spivak's theory is the concept of Subaltern. The 'Subaltern' is a military term which means 'of lower rank'. ... She wants to give voice to the subalterns who can not speak or who are silent. She focuses on speculations made on widow sacrifice.

24. Theories Lecture: Understanding Gayatri Spivak's "Can the Subaltern Speak"

21 related questions found

Can the subaltern speak as a postcolonial text?

In postcolonial terms, “everything that has limited or no access to the cultural imperialism is subaltern — a space of difference. ... Another misreading of the concept is that, since the subaltern cannot speak, she needs an advocate to speak for her, affirmative action or special regulatory protection.

What is the subaltern approach?

The Subaltern perspective stands for understanding the society through conditions of subordination of people belonging to the different caste, class, age, gender, race etc. It seeks to present an alternate image of society through the viewpoint of the masses usually unrepresented.

Can the Subaltern Speak critical analysis?

A critical analysis of Spivak's classic 1988 postcolonial studies essay, in which she argues that a core problem for the poorest and most marginalized in society (the subalterns) is that they have no platform to express their concerns and no voice to affect policy debates or demand a fairer share of society's goods.

Can the subaltern speak speculations on widow sacrifice?

It was first published in the journal Wedge in 1985, as “Can the Subaltern Speak?: Speculations on Widow Sacrifice”; reprinted in 1988 as “Can the Subaltern Speak?” in Cary Nelson and Larry Grossberg's edited collection, Marxism and the Interpretation of Culture; and revised by Spivak as part of her “History” chapter ...

Who does Spivak refer to through subaltern?

In discussions of the meaning of the term subaltern in the work of Gramsci, Spivak said that he used the word as a synonym for the proletariat (a code word to deceive the prison censor to allow his manuscripts out the prison), but contemporary evidence indicates that the term was a novel concept in Gramsci's political ...

Can the subaltern speak Marxism?

Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak's original essay "Can the Subaltern Speak?" transformed the analysis of colonialism through an eloquent and uncompromising argument that affirmed the contemporary relevance of Marxism while using deconstructionist methods to explore the international division of labor and capitalism's " ...

Can the subaltern speak citation Spivak?

APA (6th ed.)

In Morris, R. C., & Spivak, G. C. (2010). Can the subaltern speak?: Reflections on the history of an idea.

What is subaltern consciousness?

Subaltern consciousness seeks its own vision of a 'paradise lost' in the sense of community. The autonomy of Subaltern consciousness is opposed to elite nationalism.

Can the subaltern speak feminism?

Khatun in “A Site of Subaltern Articulation: The Ecstatic Female Body in the Contemporary Bangladeshi Novels of Taslima Nasrin” talks about Taslima Nasrin, a feminist writer, and how she is against Bangladeshi women being mistreated. ... The answer is no, the subaltern cannot speak.

Can the Subaltern Speak 1988 citation?

“Can the Subaltern Speak?” In Marxism and the Interpretation of Culture, ed. Cary Nelson and Lawrence Grossberg. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1988, 271–313.

Can the Subaltern Speak main themes?

The basic claim and opening statement of “Can the Subaltern Speak?” is that western academic thinking is produced in order to support western economical interests. Spivak holds that knowledge is never innocent and that it expresses the interests of its producers.

Can the Subaltern Speak important points?

Subaltern according to Spivak is those who belong to third world countries. It is impossible for them to speak up as they are divided by gender, class, caste, region, religion and other narratives. These divisions do not allow them to stand up in unity.

Can subaltern speak is an article written by?

Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, in her influential essay, ”Can the Subaltern Speak? ' argues that the abolition of the Hindu rite of sati in India by the British ”has been generally understood as a case of ”White men saving brown women from brown men''.

Why subaltern history is important?

A group of Indian scholars trained in the west wanted to reclaim their history. Its main goal was to retake history for the underclasses, for the voices that had not been heard previous. Scholars of the subaltern hoped to break away from histories of the elites and the Eurocentric bias of current imperial history.

What is subaltern history answer?

Subaltern means the 'bottommost ranks' and subaltern history developed from the idea that history should be written from the bottommost rank of people in the society. This idea was developed by the Italian historian Antonio Gramsci. The seeds of subaltern history are supposed to be found in the Marxist historiography.

What are the characteristics of subaltern approach?

The word 'subaltern' as given in the Oxford Dictionary stands for the general attribute of subordination, which is expressed in terms of a caste, class, age, gender, office or any other way. It includes the characteristics of defiance and submission.

Can the Subaltern Speak famous quotes?

Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak Quotes

• The subaltern cannot speak. ...
• White men are saving brown women from brown men. ...
• The impossible solution is the infinite unguaranteed patience to learn to learn from below how to teach the subaltern. –

Is Spivak a postcolonial feminist?

Spivak is one of many postcolonial writers to have directed this critique at the work of liberal feminism, arguing that western feminists participate in discursive colonization when they appropriate the experiences of non-white and non-western women to support arguments which seek only to better their own position ( ...

Why is subaltern studies important in understanding Indian society?

Subaltern studies analyzes the “binary relationship” of the subaltern and ruling classes, and thus studies the interplay of dominance and subordination in colonial systems, most notably India, though the methods of the movement have since been applied to other nations, spaces, and historical moments.

Who introduced subaltern studies?

The SSG arose in the 1980s, influenced by the scholarship of Eric Stokes and Ranajit Guha, to attempt to formulate a new narrative of the history of India and South Asia. The group started at the University of Sussex and then continued and traveled, mainly through Guha's students.