On Spivak's Subaltern Studies

Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak is an important representative of post-colonial criticism theory. She, together with Homi Bhabha and Edward Said is known as the "three sacred swordsmen" of the post-colonial theory.Influenced by Jacques Derrida, the master of French deconstruction, the theoretical research of Spivak mainly used deconstructionist way of thinking. Due to her identity background of the third world, Spivak paid much attention to the research of the subaltern. She deeply discussed the living status of the subaltern in her thesis like Can the Subaltern Speak? Subaltern Studies: Deconstruction Historiography and French Feminism in an International Frame. She pointed out the famous view that "subaltern cannot speak". The most important reason why they cannot speak to be the silent was that they were lacking "subject consciousness". Therefore, the studies of the subaltern is also the process of recovering their subject consciousness.This thesis consists of three chapters. In the introduction, first, the origin of the subaltern will be researched from the background. Then the theory academic achievements will be summarized through teasing out the relevant research status. Finally,the influence of multiple identities background on the subaltern research will be analyzed through Spivak's own experiences. The first chapter will inspect the subaltern research in the view of theory. Through the statement of this chapter, the definition, origin and development of "the subaltern" will be explicit. This chapter will firstly inspect the theoretical origin of the subaltern research through the western academic background.The theory of subaltern cannot appear without foundation. However, it is influenced by Gramsci's "cultural hegemony" theory,Marxist class struggle theory and Foucault's"view of intellectual power. "The theoretical term "subaltern" is not static,but in the dynamic development and change. Gramsci introduced "subaltern" in his theoretical research, on the basis of which the Indian research group extended the meaning of this word. In the chapter,Spivak's subaltern research will be analyzed about the construction of the subaltern subject in the deconstructionist vision. This chapter will contain four parts. First, the relation and influence between the thinking ways of deconstruction and the subaltern research of Spivak will be analyzed. Then the features of subaltern's subjective deficiency and the coping approaches of strategic essentialism will be analyzed. And then the third part will analyze the female subaltern as the special group in the subaltern through the analysis of the texts. Finally, the way of speak for subaltern will be researched: Education.The third chapter will be a reflection of Spivak's thinking of the subaltern,which mainly contains three parts. First,the thesis will query and rethink Spivak's view of "the subaltern cannot speak" through Chinese reality,from which the possibility that makes subaltern "speak" will be analyzed. Then the limitations and contemporary significance of Spivak's research on the subaltern's thoughts will be stated.Finally, the thesis will analyzed the enlightenment of contemporary Chinese feminist criticism. In the conclusion, Spivak's subaltern research will be generally evaluated,which summarizes the inspiration and significance of subaltern research in our country.