File spoon-archives/postcolonial.archive/postcolonial_1998/postcolonial.9804, message 317


Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 11:47:11 -0700
From: "Paul [not \"Brian\"] Brians" <brians-AT-mail.wsu.edu>
Subject: Re: Can the Subaltern speak?


I've always thought that the point of this question was to point out that
those who pretend to speak for the "subaltern" are by their very literacy
and acculturation inauthentic spokespersons. But then I don't pretend to
understand Spivak.

Anyway, if there is any constant pattern in postcolonial literature it is
that anyone widely accepted and representative of or as a spokesperson for
a particular ethnic or national group is quickly rejected as inauthentic by
other persons from the group. This is especially true of poor souls
unfortunate enough to win the Nobel Prize or have their books made into
movies. In this sense, the subaltern can't speak because they are always
being shushed and told they aren't _real_ subalterns now that they've got
everybody's ear.

Paul Brians, Department of English,Washington State University
Pullman, WA 99164-5020
brians-AT-wsu.edu
http://www.wsu.edu/~brians




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