Understanding the Importance of Amplifying Marginalized Voices

📚 Post-colonial studies aim to dismantle the Eurocentric worldview and amplify the voices of the oppressed.

🌍 Gayatri Chakraborty Spivak's ethical intervention focuses on her work with the subaltern, both as an academic and activist.

🔍 Spivak's influential essay 'Can the subaltern speak?' explores the concept of the subaltern in the field of post-colonial studies.

🌍 Colonial rule and subjugation shaped the upbringing of post-colonial theorist Spivak.

🔗 A nexus between British colonialists and middle-class nationalists impacted the violence experienced by Spivak.

💔 The partition of India and Pakistan led to horrific violence, with cities like Calcutta witnessing bloodshed and crime.

🎭 Spivak's intellectual horizon was shaped by leftist political engagement and exposure to British literature.

📚 She gained international recognition as a critic for her translation and commentary on Jacques Derrida's de la grammatologie.

🌍 One of Spivak's most influential works is 'Can the Subaltern Speak?' which explores the concept of the subaltern.

📚 The term 'subaltern' originated from the military and refers to a subordinate group.

💡 Hegemony is a mode of exercising authority, where the ruling class convinces the population that their interests align.

💭 Antonio Gramsci argued that non-coercive assertion of authority is more effective than physical force.

🔑 The lecture discusses the concept of hegemony and how the middle class in post-colonial India has exerted its authority over other groups.

🎯 The middle class has been able to convince the entire nation that their interests align with the national interest, resulting in middle class heroes being seen as national representatives.

📚 The subaltern studies collective, led by influential historians, explored post-colonial societies, particularly in South Asia, and examined the power dynamics between the elite and the subaltern.

👉 The term 'elite' refers to the sections of society with political and economic agency.

🔍 The subaltern is defined as those who do not fall under the category of elite and lack social and political agency.

💭 According to Gayatri Spivak, the subaltern is unable to speak and generate discourse due to power dynamics in society.

🌈 In a society that views reproductive heterosexuality as the norm, homosexuals are positioned as the subaltern, lacking agency to define their own identities and generate meaningful discourse.

🔇 While the subaltern can physically speak, their speech is not considered meaningful or heard by society, similar to how the speech of a mad person is disregarded.

📚 The concept of the subaltern's inability to speak and be heard will be further explored using the writings of Kiva and a story by Marcia the TV in upcoming lectures.