The term ‘subaltern’ has a rather long history. It was initially applied to the serfs and peasants in England during the Middle Ages. Later, by 1700, it was used for the subordinate ranks in the military. It, however, gained wide currency in scholarly circles after the works of Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937), an Italian Marxist and Communist Party leader. Gramsci generally used the term in a broader connotation of ‘class’ to avoid the censorship of the prison authorities as he was in jail and his writings were scanned. Gramsci had adopted the term to refer to the subordinate groups in the society.
In his opinion, the history of the subaltern groups is almost always related to that of the
ruling groups. In addition, this history is generally ‘fragmentary and episodic’.
Ranajit Guha, however, in the Preface to Subaltern Studies I, did not mention Gramsci’s
use of the term, even though he referred to Gramsci as an inspiration. Instead, he defined
it as given in the Concise Oxford Dictionary:
‘The word “subaltern” in the title stands for the meaning as given in the Concise
Oxford Dictionary, that is, “of inferior rank”.For example, it will be used in as a name for the general attribute of subordination in South Asian society whether this is expressed in terms of class, caste, age, gender and office or in any other way.’
A little later, at the end of his opening essay in the volume, he further clarified this term:
‘The terms “people” and “subaltern classes” have been used synonymously
throughout this note. The social groups and elements included in this category
represent the demographic difference between the total Indian population
and all those whom we have described as the “elite”.’
The Subaltern historians made a radical departure in the use of the term from that of
Gramsci. Even while accepting the subordinated nature of the subaltern groups, they
argued the their history was autonomous from that of the dominant classes.
Now there is a general and clear acknowledgement of basically two phases in the
career of the Subaltern Studies. Phase I consists of :
a) concern with the subaltern, i.e., lower, exploited classes;
b) criticism of the elite, i.e., exploiting classes; and
c) influence of Gramscian thought and Marxist social history and an attempt to work
within broader Marxist theory.
In the second phase, there is a clear shift from these concerns. Now :
a) there is an increasing engagement with textual analysis, a shift away from exploring
the history of the exploited people, and more engagement, even though critical,
with elite discourses; and
b) Marx and Gramsci are jettisoned in favour of Michel Foucault, Edward Said, and
other postmodernists and postcolonialist. The Subaltern Studies began in the early 1980s as a critique of the existing historiography which was accused by its initiators for ignoring the voice of the people. The writers associated with the project promised to offer a completely new kind of history in the field of Indian history.
Subaltern hi hun rei tak atanga in tan tawh a ni a. A tirte ah chuan Middle Age hunlaiin England ah lonei mi te sawi nan a hman thin a ni. a hnu kum 1700 chho ah chuan sipai pawla a dinhmun hniam ho sawi nan hman ani. Amaherawhchu, Antonio Gramsci(1891-1937) Italian Marxist leh Communist hruaitu chuan a rawn vawrh lar viau a. Gramsci hian 'subaltern' tih hi society a dinhmun hnuaihnung zawk sawi nan a hmang a ni.
Gramsci ngaihdanah chuan Subaltern ho chu thunei tu sang zawk te nen an in zawm tlat in a hria a ni. A sawi zawm zelna ah chuan Subaltern history hi a tlangpuiin 'a them bang leh thu sei tak kara a bung chang pawimawh lai pakhat ani' a ti.
Ranajit Guha chuan a lehkhabu, 'Studies of Subaltern' tih ah chuan, Gramsci ngaihdan ang chu a sawi lang tel miah lo a, mahse Gramsci chu Subaltern chungchanga phurna pe tu ani ati. Chu aia ah chuan Concise Oxford Dictionary a hrilhfiahna hi a tarlang zawk ani. Subaltern Concise Oxford Dictionary a hrilhfiah danah chuan dinhmun hnuaihnung sawi nan a hmang a ni. A hnu ah, a essay ziah tawp lamah chuan 'mipui' tih leh 'subaltern class' tih hi awmze thuhmun rengin a hmang a ni. India ram population a mihring awmzat chhuina a mi naran rual awmho leh a dinhmun sang ho te danglamna a tarlang a ni. Subaltern historian te chuan Subaltern lo chhuahna bul chungchangah hian Gramsci ngaihdan hi an pawm tlang ani. Hetih rual hian subaltern te dinhmun chu ave reng turah an ngai a ni.
Subaltern Studies ah hian adik nia pawmna a awm a. Chungte chu Phase I leh Phase II a then ani. Phase I ah chuan: a)subaltern kaihhnawih, i.e., din hmun hniam zawkte leh an dinhmun antih chhiat te
b)din hmun sang zawk te sawiselna: i.e., dinhmun hniam zawk te ti chhe tu te
c)Gramsci ngaihdan pawmpuina leh Marxist Theory a zau zawk a zir chian.
Subaltern Studies hi kum 1980 ah a in tran a. Ziaktu te chuan Indian history a thil thar hlak pek an tiam a ni.
References 1)Vinayak Chaturvedi (ed.), Mapping Subaltern Studies and the Postcolonial (London
and New York, Verso, 2000).
2)MHI-03 Historiography, IGNOU, MA Textbook
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