Can the Subaltern Speak?

Reflections on the History of an Idea

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Asian, Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, Ethnic Studies
Cover of the book Can the Subaltern Speak? by , Columbia University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: ISBN: 9780231512855
Publisher: Columbia University Press Publication: March 16, 2010
Imprint: Columbia University Press Language: English
Author:
ISBN: 9780231512855
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication: March 16, 2010
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Language: English

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 "worlding" of the world. Spivak's essay hones in on the historical and ideological factors that obstruct the possibility of being heard for those who inhabit the periphery. It is a probing interrogation of what it means to have political subjectivity, to be able to access the state, and to suffer the burden of difference in a capitalist system that promises equality yet withholds it at every turn.

Since its publication, "Can the Subaltern Speak?" has been cited, invoked, imitated, and critiqued. In these phenomenal essays, eight scholars take stock of the effects and response to Spivak's work. They begin by contextualizing the piece within the development of subaltern and postcolonial studies and the quest for human rights. Then, through the lens of Spivak's essay, they rethink historical problems of subalternity, voicing, and death. A final section situates "Can the Subaltern Speak?" within contemporary issues, particularly new international divisions of labor and the politics of silence among indigenous women of Guatemala and Mexico. In an afterword, Spivak herself considers her essay's past interpretations and future incarnations and the questions and histories that remain secreted in the original and revised versions of "Can the Subaltern Speak?"-both of which are reprinted in this book.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

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 "worlding" of the world. Spivak's essay hones in on the historical and ideological factors that obstruct the possibility of being heard for those who inhabit the periphery. It is a probing interrogation of what it means to have political subjectivity, to be able to access the state, and to suffer the burden of difference in a capitalist system that promises equality yet withholds it at every turn.

Since its publication, "Can the Subaltern Speak?" has been cited, invoked, imitated, and critiqued. In these phenomenal essays, eight scholars take stock of the effects and response to Spivak's work. They begin by contextualizing the piece within the development of subaltern and postcolonial studies and the quest for human rights. Then, through the lens of Spivak's essay, they rethink historical problems of subalternity, voicing, and death. A final section situates "Can the Subaltern Speak?" within contemporary issues, particularly new international divisions of labor and the politics of silence among indigenous women of Guatemala and Mexico. In an afterword, Spivak herself considers her essay's past interpretations and future incarnations and the questions and histories that remain secreted in the original and revised versions of "Can the Subaltern Speak?"-both of which are reprinted in this book.

More books from Columbia University Press

Cover of the book The Splendid Vision by
Cover of the book Jane Austen and the Romantic Poets by
Cover of the book Error and the Academic Self by
Cover of the book Evolutionary Paleoecology by
Cover of the book Records of Dispossession by
Cover of the book Eastern Sentiments by
Cover of the book The Cinema of Robert Altman by
Cover of the book What Kind of Creatures Are We? by
Cover of the book Literary Culture in Taiwan by
Cover of the book Kinship and Killing by
Cover of the book Hollywood from Vietnam to Reagan . . . and Beyond by
Cover of the book Parting Ways by
Cover of the book The Critical Pulse by
Cover of the book Domestic Violence by
Cover of the book Film Noir by
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy