1st National Seminar - Fragmented Voices: Subalternity & Subjectivity in Contemporary Literature
The concept of subalternity, rooted in Antonio Gramsci’s theoretical framework and later expanded in postcolonial studies by thinkers like Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, has been central to understanding the dynamics of power, representation, and marginalization. Subalternity refers to those groups and individuals excluded from hegemonic structures of power, whose voices are systematically silenced by dominant discourses. In contemporary literature, the subaltern is no more a passive subject of marginalization but an active agent of resistance, contestation, and self-articulation. Contemporary literature has become a critical space for the articulation of subaltern experiences, foregrounding the voices of those who have historically been denied agency.