Third World Subaltern Women in the Review of Feminism Theory Postcolonial Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak

Abstract

The term subaltern is presented as a synonym for the proletariat. Gayatri Spivak emphasizes the importance of looking at the unconscious hegemonic mechanism regarding the use of subaltern word attributes. They are in hegemonic discourse which means there is some kind of unconscious manipulation of what they are doing. In Spivak's theoretical study, subaltern groups are groups whose voices are always represented, while representations are only tools for real domination. Therefore, people who are oppressed and colonized (subaltern), must speak up, have to take the initiative, and take action against their silenced voices. Because colonial power was continuously maintained in and through different discourse. As a postcolonial feminist critic Gayatri Spivak continues to challenge Western contemporary thinking by showing how dominant institutional and cultural discourses and practices have consistently excluded and marginalized subalterns, especially subaltern women. Her focus on the history of subaltern women and her critique of subaltern projects has radically challenged the way political identity is conceptualized in much contemporary thought. The emphasis is on the ability of the subaltern to speak