The Concept of Subalternity

Chapter 1 explores the intellectual trajectory of the concept of subalternity. The first section revisits some key debates of subaltern theory which are considered relevant for the book. It demonstrates that subaltern theory may be fruitfully applied to understanding social inequality, especially when it comes to analysing the interlinked exclusion of subalterns from hegemonic frameworks of speech and, access to means of production in the modern state. The second part reflects on the methodological and theoretical consequences of applying subaltern theory to anthropological fieldwork and ethnographic writing. The author demands that the fieldwork method of participant observation is particularly suited to document the everyday life of subalterns, especially their often embodied practices and rituals. Beyond, he argues that the establishing of social relations with subalterns may serve as a precondition enabling the fieldworker to ‘speak with subalterns’ and thus to capture their voice in a more direct way.