The Genealogy of the Subaltern Representation beyond Theory

Abstract

The term subaltern is often understood in the light of history. Subaltern is an old term that designated the workingclass people but subaltern as a theory came into light with the introduction of collective project by a group of South Asian scholars. It is a trend of writing history that emerged in India around 1980s. Subaltern study is about the history of ignored history; history of socio-cultural development and the history of nation as well as about the process of globalization. Subaltern Study concerns the participation of the masses that were subsided and marginalized from a larger discourse and often misrepresented in general discussion due to socio-economic and ideological grounds. Otherwise stated, it is about the history of silenced and neglect. In South Asian context, it is more often seen as a benefaction of colonialism, while in western context it designates affairs of social and cultural hierarchy. The term deals with oblivious absence of the people and the undermining of their consciousness, aspirations and cultural values from the larger structure of history writing. The paper explores the historical representations of Subaltern mass and tries to comprehend the process by which the subalterns are being produced at the first place.