African Journal of History and Culture (AJHC) Vol. 4(1), pp. 4-8, January 2012 Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/AJHC DOI: 10.5897/AJHC11.020 ISSN 2141-6672 ©2012 Academic Journals Full Length Research Paper Retracing the concept of the subaltern from Gramsci to Spivak: Historical developments and new applications El Habib Louai Department of English Studies, Ibn-Zohr University, Agadir, Morocco. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: 00212610583105. Accepted 13 December, 2011 The aim of this paper is to retrace the historical developments and new implications of one of the most disputed concepts in post-colonial theory. The study of the concept of the subaltern deals first with preliminary definitions of this concept as it was initially used by the Italian Marxist political activist, Antonio Gramsci, in his widely known book “Prison Notebooks”. Later, this paper examined the new reflections of the subaltern concept as explicated by those critics and historians who defined themselves as members of the Subaltern Studies Group. A particular focus at this stage is laid on the key insights of the forefather of the group, Ranajit Guha, and on the latest assumptions and ideas provided by the prominent deconstructivist, post-colonial critic, Gayatri Spivak, mainly in her seminal essay: "Can the Subaltern Speak?" The study finally tackled some of the present day implications of the subaltern concept as it unfolds in a post-modern condition. The analysis at this stage focused on key ideas introduced by the post-modern scholar, Jean Baudrillard, and post-colonial critic, Homi Bhabha. Key words: Subaltern, post-colonialism, colonial discourse, subaltern historiography, political mobilization, domination, sexual division of labor, history, third world women, Sati women, globalized post-modern world, difference, identity, consciousness of subalternity, revolutionary voice, liminality, third space of enunciation. INTRODUCTION Post-colonialial theory as a recent field of study has lately its constitution in the Indian historiography. This become one of the most attractive academic disciplines - controversial concept of the subaltern caused a great if it can be called a discipline - that incessantly triggers deal of confusion all over the academia and left students piles and piles of literature written by art of critics, social of colonial discourse and post-colonial theory perplexed reformists, political scientists, literary critics and political while wallowing in labyrinthine postulations of specialized economists. The continuous expansion of post- scholars. In this study, the author did not pretend colonialism in its recent version made its own domains of perfectly master in any way the premises expressed by interest and areas of functionality overlap with other fields those scholars nor did he encompass the scopes of their of global academic studies such as African American inquiries, but his intention in this article is to trace the literature, literary theory and criticism, anthropology and birth of the subaltern as a critical concept of extreme cultural studies. One of the latest subdivisions of post- importance in post-colonial theory. As such, this notion of colonial theory is the Subaltern Studies Group or the the subaltern was traced following it through its historical Subaltern Studies Collective that was launched in the developments as it was first coined before coming to its 1980s by a group of eminent Indian scholars. latest applications in post-modern conditions. So as not The Subaltern Studies Group, in its immense effort to to drift into unnecessary excavations that may lead this restudy the Indian history and society as a narrative, study astray, a genealogical study of this concept (the provoked a great number of controversial issues; among subaltern) was chosen on three predominant thinkers them is the problematic issue of the subaltern subject and with whom it is essentially associated: Antonio Gramsci, Louai 5 Ranajit Guha and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. history of the ruling and dominant classes. In this study, Throughout its history since the beginning of the Gramsci envisages to carry out the legitimized fact given twentieth century, the concept of the subaltern remains thus: one of the most slippery and difficult to define. This “The subaltern classes by definition, are not unified and difficulty is due in part to the manipulations of critics and cannot unite until they are able to become a "State”: their writers whose, “unscrupulous, instrumental, or merely history, therefore, is intertwined with that of civil society, selective readings of Gramsci have been animated by the and thereby with the history of States and groups of impulse to make him appear relevant to the present time, States (Gramsci, 1971).”2 particularly when he has been used to lend authority to or In order to study the history of the subaltern groups, legitimize a specific political stance, ideological tendency, Gramsci designed a plan composed of six steps that are 1 or theoretical position” (Francese, 2009). found to be explained in details in his book, which was mentioned earlier. He intends to study: firstly, their objective formation by changes taking place in economic GRAMSCIAN EXPLORATIONS OF THE CONCEPT OF production; secondly, their active or passive affiliation to THE SUBALTERN AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE the dominant political formations and their attempts to SUBALTERN STUDIES GROUP influence their programs; thirdly, the birth of new parties and dominant groups, which are mainly created for the The approach that was used in this study consists mainly subjugation and maintenance of the subaltern; fourthly, of retracing the concept of the subaltern in its historical the formations which the subaltern group themselves development as it was first used by Gramsci before trying made to vindicate limited rights; fifthly, new formations to relate it to the current developments in our post- which maintain the subaltern groups autonomy within old modern times. So, it became evident that the approach is frameworks; sixthly, those formations which may help to a historical approach that attempts to excavate the affirm their entire autonomy (Gramsci, 1971)3. Ironically, origins of the concept of the subaltern by referring to a Gramsci argued that the subaltern classes have the genealogical study of the foundational academic same complex history as that of the hegemonic classes, theoretical works which dealt with this notion of the although the latter constitutes the most officially subaltern. The material used consists mainly of major accepted. The subaltern groups‟ history in Gramsci‟s books written by Gramsci, Ranajit Guha and Spivak. opinion has no evident unity and it seems to be in its very The notion of the subaltern was first referred to by the episodic totality because of their submission to the Italian Marxist political activist Antonio Gramsci in his authority of the ruling groups even when they break with article “Notes on Italian History” which appeared later on the established system. This deplorable state of affairs as part of his most widely known book Prison Notebooks imposed this sort of non-accessibility to the means by written between 1929 and 1935. Gramsci‟s standpoint is which they may limit and control their own representation fundamentally instrumental to any student who reaches and consequently lack an access to the social and an understanding of the origin of the notion of the cultural institutions of their state. Though, it takes a long subaltern because it tends to detach itself from the time, the only possible way from Gramsci‟s perspective mechanistic and economistic form that narrowly was to reach the state of freedom through a „permanent‟ characterizes most of the Marxist traditional studies. The victory which necessarily guarantees a dismantling of the subaltern classes refer fundamentally in Gramsci‟s words master/slave pattern. to any “low rank” person or group of people in a particular This dismantling is to be realized within Gramsci‟s society suffering under hegemonic domination of a ruling theoretical framework, by releasing the subordinated elite class that denies them the basic rights of consciousness of non-elite group from the cultural participation in the making of local history and culture as hegemony exercised by the ruling class. His active individuals of the same nation. Gramsci‟s groundbreaking and newly revealed ideas about the vital intentions when he first used the concept of the subaltern role of peasantry as a distinct group within the subaltern are clear enough to be given any other far-fetched division, distinguished Gramsci from the previous interpretations. The only groups Gramsci had in mind at founders of Marxism who confidently took for granted the that time were the workers and peasants who were impending expiry of the peasantry in the face of the oppressed and discriminated by the leader of the class-conscious proletariat produced by the conditions of National Fascist Party, Benito Mussolini and his agents. a post-industrial capitalist society. His deeply formulated Gramsci became interested in the study of the subaltern ideas, especially those written during his imprisonment, classes of consciousness and culture as one possible about the class of peasants as a social, cultural and way to make their voice heard instead of relying on the political force aware of its distinct consciousness of historical narrative of the state which is by the end, the 2 Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, edited and translated 1 Perspectives on Gramsci: Politics, Culture and Social Theory, ed. Joseph by Quintin Hoare and Geoffrey Nowell Smith. London: Lawrence and Wishart, Francese. Routledge: Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN 1971. 2009). 3 Gramsci, 1971 6 Afr. J. Hist. Cult. subalternity made other subsequent 20th century scholars „politics of people‟ that persists to exist even when the working on the issue of Indian peasantry historiography elite politics dissipate. resume his effort. These scholars led by Ranajit Guha This distinct difference between the elite and the came to be known as the Subaltern Studies Group.