On the Structure of Subalternity and the Process of Subalternisation in India
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10940372 |
|---|---|
| Authors | T K Oommen (Jawaharlal Nehru University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Volume | 47 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 426-435 |
| Publication date | 2017-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social Change (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0049-0857 • E-ISSN: 0976-3538 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0049085717712855 |
| OpenAlex | W2760251382 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 4 |
The concept of subalternity, originally formulated by the Italian Marxist, Antonio Gramsci, was amplified by a few Indian historians by juxtaposing the elitist nationalist historiography with subaltern historiography providing a bottom-up perspective. 1 This paper attempts to identify the structure of subaltern deprivations with special reference to India. The main sources of subalternisation in India are as follows: treating some groups/communities as outsiders to the polity (externalisation); assigning groups to the lowest rung of the social ladder (hierarchisation); denial of identity to some groups through a process of absorption (expansionism of the hegemonic group) and lastly, application of traditional norms of society to keep women in subordination (patriarchy). The groups/communities subjected to the process of subalternisation in contemporary India are dalits, adivasis, religious and linguistic minorities and women. Admittedly, the phenomenon of intersectionality creates a hierarchy among subaltern groups—some are cumulatively oppressed, based on several factors, while the oppression of others is anchored in one or two factors only
Aesthetics · Hegemony · Historiography · Identity (music · Nationalism · Oppression · Patriarchy · Political science · Politics · Polity · Sociology · Subaltern · Gender Studies · Indian Economic and Social Development · Law · Philosophy · Social and Economic Development in India · South Asian Studies and Conflicts
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |