According to Merriam-Webster a subaltern is a military terminology that means “a person holding a subordinate position”. In Spivak’s argument in her essay “Can the Subaltern Speak?” is that colonizer makes decisions and interprets situations of the colonized without listening to the people who were colonized. In Spivak’s essay she references an example between the British colonizers and Indian cultures. Based on an analysis done by Elanor Ross it is speculated that a point that Spivak is speaking of in talking about the relationship between British colonizers and the Indian culture is the abolishment of sati by the British and how it was seen as the British males rescuing the Indian woman. Ross states that Spivak’s argument is that the British are using their viewpoint of being rescuers is justification for them staying in India and being colonizers of India.
Spivak’s essay connects back to other reading that we have done in this class so far. These readings include Aijaz Ahmad’s “Jameson’s Rhetoric of Otherness”, an excerpt from Simone de Beauvoir’s “The Second Sex” and Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from the Birmingham Jail”. Spivak’s essay connects with Ahmad’s essay through Ahmad’s talk about how the Third World is determine by who they are colonized by and Spivak talks about how the lower status people do not have a say and how their decisions are made for them by their colonizer. Spivak’s essay related to Simone de Beauvoir’s excerpt in that in de Beauvoir determines the idea of Self and Other and how that relates to the male-female relationship. The male being the self and the woman being the Other. Spivak also speaks on this topic of the women being the other and the criticism of feminism. Spivak’s essay also connects with Martin Luther King’s “Letter from the Birmingham Jail”, King determines the difference between just and unjust laws. He states that unjust laws come from a majority making laws about the minority without the minority group being able to vote on these decisions. This relates back to Spivak’s theme of her essay in that the colonizer makes decisions and interprets situations of the colonized without listening to the people who are colonized. Another example of a situation that relates to Spivak’s theme includes people helping impoverished areas. Often people assume what the impoverished areas need and make decision on what they need and do that. This is all done without asking the people of the impoverished areas what they need or how others can help them. This can lead to people not getting the help that they would need.
Citations:
Ahmad, Aijaz. Jameson’s Rhetoric of Otherness and the ‘National Allegory’. 1987, osu.instructure.com/courses/106813/files/33418701/download?wrap=1.
de Beauvoir, Simone. From the Second Sex ‘Introduction’. 2019, https://osu.instructure.com/courses/106813/files/33418698?module_item_id=6554067
Definition of SUBALTERN. (n.d.). Www.merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved September 19, 2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subaltern
King, Martin Luther. “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Aug. 1963, Birmingham, Alabama.
Ross, E. (n.d.). In ‘Can the Subaltern Speak?’, Spivak Offers the Sentence “White Men Are Saving Brown Women from Brown Men” as One Relationship Between the Colonizer and the Colonized. How far does this sentence reflect the representations of British Dealings with India in texts you have studied? [Review of In ‘Can the Subaltern Speak?’, Spivak Offers the Sentence “White Men Are Saving Brown Women from Brown Men” as One Relationship Between the Colonizer and the Colonized. How far does this sentence reflect the representations of British Dealings with India in texts you have studied?]. Innervate, 2, 285–391. Retrieved September 18, 2021, from https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/english/documents/innervate/09-10/0910rosssubaltern.pdf
Spivak, Gayatri. Can the Subaltern Speak?. 1988, https://osu.instructure.com/courses/106813/files/33418723?module_item_id=6554294
You did a great job of analyzing Spivak’s text and comparing it to other familiar works. Spivak’s text was very eyeopening. As a South Asian American myself, this piece connected with me on a whole other level. Too often do colonizers take advantage of the “other” by demonstrating a “white savior complex.” It’s for this reason that the colonized’s culture is ignored and undervalued, as demonstrated by sati. I thought that your comparison between the literal definition versus applied definition of subaltern was quite interesting. In a way, Spivak compares the colonized as subordinates of the British. Even now, the affects of colonization are ever present. For example, India houses many British slang terms.
Your presentation did a great job connecting the text back to what we have been working with these past few weeks. As you explained British rule of India was done under the justification of “educating” or “helping” the Indian people. An idea that we have seen throughout history we see examples of this in other cultures which practice imperialism and colonialism. European countries used a similar excuse during the colonization of America and the United states has in the past forced Indigenous people into reservations against their will, while forcing them to adopt customs they previously had not practiced. The idea that colonizing countries are preforming a service towards the subjugated culture is a justification seen time and time again and I’m glad you where able to relate the text that speaks of it back to ideas such as that presented in the Letter from Birmingham jail which is essentially a call for action towards fairness and equality.
Hello, your presentation was phenomenal in connecting Spivak’s essay back to the other readings we have done. Especially in your connection to Ahmad’s “Jameson Rhetoric of Otherness” it helped me get a stronger grasp on the intersectionality of the readings we have been doing each week and how each one does not get brushed under the rug, but instead, they all end up playing off of one another. I find it interesting that every colonizer sees themselves as “the savior” when the people or nation they colonize, do not need saving, and all that’s being done is having a culture that isn’t theirs forced on themselves. It often reminds me that history repeats itself and this will sadly keep happening and far into the future it will be with different civilizations on different planets, kind of an insane question based on the reading its week but it makes me curious, do you think this type of colonization will happen if humans find extraterrestrial life forms on other plants in the future?
I really enjoyed reading your presentation, especially connecting it back to past readings. Another example that your post reminds me of is the current savior/world police that the US has become. I feel like in my lifetime, the US has taken this mindset to a new level and it has shown with how the Afghanistan War turned out. There are multiple examples of the US going into foreign countries, whether for their own personal interests or that of the people living there, trying to change and dictate what goes on. Just like how you stated people assuming what impoverished people need instead of asking, the US tends to do this as well. Then when we do pull out of said country after harming it, we make it even worse leaving behind the pieces for that country to pick up. Just a similar idea to your last example, I really enjoyed your post!
Your presentation really tied in all the material we have learned this semester and you did a great job explaining the ideas Spivaks essay go along with the essays we have read. The end of your post really spoke to me. It is very true that first world countries go into third world countries with intent to help but that might not always be what happens. Although with good inention, wealthy countries must have their boundaries, if they are truly there to help the people in impoverished areas than they must listen to them. I think it is possible to help imporvished countries while still allowing them to have their voice.
This summary was perfect and understandable. I found a lot of the same information while reading your first paragraph. You used the British and the Indian culture to explain Spivak’s reference and explained what she meant well. I liked the second paragraph you wrote a lot because you used the other stories we have read and explained well how they relate to the “Subaltern” Spivak is talking about. Each story we read has a subaltern that looks up to a higher power, and you explained that well.
Your ability to connect Spivak’s essay to not only one but multiple weeks of material was very impressive and speaks to how all the material we have been learning is connected. One specific point that you made that stood out to me was Spivak’s inclusion of helping improvised areas. I agree that a lot of the time those that go to help just assume what the improvised areas need rather than what they are actually in need of. This is almost worse than not helping at all because you see resources you don’t need going to waste, while you are still trying to get help for the more important problem.