subaltern= taken from Antonio
Gramsci. Italian marxist and
communists imprisoned by
Mussolini
the subjected underclass in a society, on whom
the dominant power exerts it hegemonic
influence
subaltern studies emerged around 1982 as a series
of journal articles published by Oxford Universities
Press in Inda
main goal is to retake history for
the underclass, for the voices that
had not been previously heard-
hoped to break away from histories
of the elites and eurocentric bias of
current imperial history
How does it challenge understandings of the freedom
movement?
In current imperial history, the Freedom movement is remembered and
discussed as being run by political alites such as Gandhi, Nehru and Jinnah
etc. Although these people did a lot for the movement this focus allows for the
neglect of the peasants and common people who did contribute to the
movement.
the lower classes are often only referred to very briefly, only in a few words, and usually
about the threat the presented to non-violent protest, and how violet and unruly they were
with reference to events such as Chauri Chaura in 1921.
Shahid Amin= it was the peasant rumours and
myths about Gandhi which allowed for his success
and the success of his movements.
Guha: 'historiography of Indian
Nationalism - dominated by
colonist elitism and bourgeoisie
nationalist elitism' 'indigenous
elite led the people form
subjegation to freedom'
Challenged the obsession with Gandhi
and the INC
Rosalin O'Haan: contributors have attempted
to establish the specific rootedness in
bourgeois political ambition and ideology of
many of Congress and Gandhian campaigns
and to show that far from leading movements
of subordinate resistance, Congress activists
frequently moved in and attempted to
appropriate and divert movements which were
generated outside and independent of it
What was the problem of historiography in
India?
dominated by
elites
Indian elites would lead to
freedom
people are just in footnotes- just following
unable to grasp ideas of caste and religion
western-centric, Eurocentric:
Europeans trajectory of
progress is correct