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Abstract
Subalternity as a concept, is basically set upon marginality and it is evident from the 16th century Latin word subalternus which derives its origin to sub (‘next below’) and alternus (‘every other’) meaning people of ‘inferior rank’, languishing in the margin. Subalternity is then associated with ‘otherization’ of a section of people in a society on the basis of class, race, community, religion. Literally, the position of the Subaltern is driven by ‘dynamics of power’ (Michel Foucault) and ‘hegemonization’ (Antonio Gramsci) of the dominant over the dominated. Although Subaltern Consciousness in the West is largely determined by class, race, hegemony, and power dynamics, in India, it is moreover guided by caste consciousness. Partha Chatterjee, a renowned subaltern scholar implies the fact that subaltern consciousness cannot be separated from caste consciousness. In terms of categorization, Subalternity can be indentified with regards to Old Subaltern, New Subaltern, Situational Subaltern, Racial Subaltern, and Gendered Subaltern. Gayatri Spivak in her groundbreaking essay Can the Subaltern Speak? (1988) views that the subaltern has no history and that he/she is essentially voiceless.