Subaltern Studies

Abstract This entry tracks the “genealogy” and “archaeology” of subaltern studies, which has emerged as a subdisciplinary and alternative historical field over the last three decades. It broadly covers the work of Ranajit Guha, the chief proponent of the “school,” along with works by other eminent “members” like Partha Chatterjee, Dipesh Chakrabarty, and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. Starting with the social context and debates within which the idea of subaltern studies in the South Asian context was formed, it discusses the notion of subaltern historiography and its distinction from other “elite” historiographies. Various dimensions of the concept “subaltern” are also covered in depth and breadth, as well as the critical assessments that subaltern studies have been subjected to. The entry then traces the slow transformation of the field, as it merges into the tradition of postcolonial studies and postcolonial theory. Finally, it presents a glimpse of the current trends and future tendencies that are emerging in subaltern studies.