Selected Subaltern Studies (Essays from the 5 Volumes and a Glossary) [Paperback]

Ranajit Guha (Editor), Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak (Editor), Edward Said (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0195052897 | ISBN-13: 978-0195052893 | Publication Date: May 19, 1988 | Edition: First Printing

This provocative volume presents the most wide-ranging essays from the first five volumes of Subaltern Studies, along with an introductory essay by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak--the translator of Derrida's Of Grammatology into English--and a foreword by eminent critic Edward W. Said. Addressed to students and scholars throughout the humanities, these essays address what Antonio Gramsci--the founder of the Italian communist party--called the subaltern classes, reexamining well-known historical and political events, such as Gandhi's role in India, from a Marxist perspective. Together, the essays examine aspects of the analysis of domination, with special reference to the critique of imperialism, in an attempt to rectify the elitist bias characteristic of much academic work on India. A ground-breaking work of considerable pedagogical relevance for courses dealing with colonialism and imperialism in literature, sociology, anthropology, politics, and history, Subaltern Studies also features a comprehensive glossary of Indian terms for readers not familiar with Indian history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A most useful collection that makes representative articles from this very influential series readily available for class use."--A.T. Embree, Columbia University

"Excellent when teaching the colonial period in Indian history."--Darius Cooper, San Diego Mesa College

"Especially welcome....Will serve the admirable purpose of introducing American students--who are often unfamiliar with this way of looking at history from the bottom upwards!--to an important body of recent research."--Gavin R.G. Hambly, University of Texas at Dallas

About the Author

Ranajit Guha is at Australian National University. Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak is at University of Pittsburgh. Edward Said is at Columbia University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; First Printing edition (May 19, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195052897
• ISBN-13: 978-0195052893
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #430,838 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A mixed bag., September 20, 2009

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This review is from: Selected Subaltern Studies (Essays from the 5 Volumes and a Glossary) (Paperback)

First of all, if you haven't got a substantial background in Indian history, this book is going to be a tough read. Even with the included appendix and glossary, for a non-Indian historian the names quickly become overwhelming. Having said that, though, if you can find the central arguments in the different essays, you'll find common themes and very valid ideas in the text. Ultimately the book does allow us to see that people share common concerns and ideas, be they peasant or noble, eastern or western, and that the notion of "us" versus "them" is and has always been artificial.