Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak

Postcolonial Theory Continued

Key Theorist: Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak

• An influential Indian scholar, literary theorist, and feminist critic.

• Notable Work: "Can the Subaltern Speak?" (1988)

Subaltern Definition

• Subaltern refers to colonial subjects who are socially, politically, and geographically excluded from power hierarchies.

• Subaltern peoples are often displaced, denied agency and citizenship.

Gender and Representation

• Women, according to Spivak, are often the most marginalized in colonial contexts.

• Engages with the politics of representation: focuses on who can represent whom and the challenges thereof.

• Emphasizes the importance of engaging with marginalized voices without speaking for them.

Voice and Power Structures

• It's challenging for subaltern women to participate in public discourse due to existing power structures.

• Notable Quotes:

  • "Clearly, if you are poor, black, and female you get it in three ways."

  • "White men are saving brown women from brown men."

  • "The subaltern cannot speak."