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Routledge Critical Thinkers
گایاتری چاکراورتی اسپیواک
Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak offers an overtly political challenge to the way we think about literature and culture. As she highlights the many legacies of colonialism, she re-defines the ethical horizons of contemporary critical thought. This volume focuses on her key theoretical concepts, intellectual context and critical reception, providing an accessible introduction to one of the most important thinkers of our time.
Stephen Morton introduces Spivak's crucial work through an analysis of such issues as:
* methodology and Spivak's 'difficult' style
* deconstructive strategies
* third world women, the concept of the 'subaltern' and the critique of western feminism
* re-reading Marx for the global capitalist era
* Spivak's contribution to colonial discourse studies and postcolonial theory.
Having examined the ways in which Spivak has transformed contemporary cultural theory, and in particular feminist and postcolonial thought, Morton concludes with a guide to reading Spivak's work and that of her critics. Essential for students of literature or cultural studies, this volume is the ideal companion for a first encounter with Spivak's remarkable texts.
Stephen Morton introduces Spivak's crucial work through an analysis of such issues as:
* methodology and Spivak's 'difficult' style
* deconstructive strategies
* third world women, the concept of the 'subaltern' and the critique of western feminism
* re-reading Marx for the global capitalist era
* Spivak's contribution to colonial discourse studies and postcolonial theory.
Having examined the ways in which Spivak has transformed contemporary cultural theory, and in particular feminist and postcolonial thought, Morton concludes with a guide to reading Spivak's work and that of her critics. Essential for students of literature or cultural studies, this volume is the ideal companion for a first encounter with Spivak's remarkable texts.
261 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 3, 2019
"Spivak underlined the necessity - originally articulated by Jacques Derrida - for a slow and careful reading at a time of political urgency." (23)
This book provides an excellent introduction to the work and thought of the cultural theorist, literary critic and public intellectual Gayatri Spivak.
As a student of Derrida, perhaps his most famous and influential, particularly due to her translation of 'Of Grammatology', Spivak has helped to popularise Derridean theory in post-grad comparative literature departments across the Anglophone world. Morton deals with Spivak in a readable way and helps to parse through the dense jargon and otherworldly syntax, in a manner not often shared by the intellectuals Spivak is typically associated with. This book requires no prior background, but an entry level understanding of Marx and Derrida would be useful to fully understand many of the points Morton is explaining.
This book provides an excellent introduction to the work and thought of the cultural theorist, literary critic and public intellectual Gayatri Spivak.
As a student of Derrida, perhaps his most famous and influential, particularly due to her translation of 'Of Grammatology', Spivak has helped to popularise Derridean theory in post-grad comparative literature departments across the Anglophone world. Morton deals with Spivak in a readable way and helps to parse through the dense jargon and otherworldly syntax, in a manner not often shared by the intellectuals Spivak is typically associated with. This book requires no prior background, but an entry level understanding of Marx and Derrida would be useful to fully understand many of the points Morton is explaining.
May 12, 2021
کتاب بسیار خوب و روشنگریه دربارهی آرای اسپیواک در زمینههای، نقد فمینیست غربی، واسازی، دیدگاههای پسااستعماری او، و البته ذاتگرایی. البته اشاراتی به نظریات استاد او در دورهی دکتری پل دومان، و دیگر همتایانش از جمله دریدا و همیبابا شده است. در بعضی از صفحات کتاب توضیحاتی افزوده شده در جهت هدایت درست و کمک به خوانش صحیح خواننده. دربارهی مقالات مهم اسپیواک به ویژه مقالات« سهزن...» و «فرودستان...» توضیحاتی ارائه شده است.در کل با توجه به متون اندکی که از و دربارهی این نظریهپرداز مهم در فارسی در دسترس است این کتاب با ترجمهی خوب خانم قابلی درخورِ توجه است.
June 29, 2013
Clear and concise
April 25, 2019
بند امن زندان تهران بزرگ
December 16, 2024
This book was chosen as a required reading for my Postcolonial Studies course. Like other Routledge Critical Thinkers series, it effectively summarizes Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak’s ideas, one of the most widely discussed—and arguably one of Spivak’s most significant—is about the Subaltern. The background of Spivak’s ideas is the experiences and histories of certain individuals and social groups that have historically been dispossessed and exploited by European colonialism. The Subaltern encompasses various types of subjects that are not covered by the dominant political discourse. It also accommodates identities and social struggles (such as women and the colonized) that are not included in the restrictive term ‘strict class analysis.’
In her early research on Subaltern Studies, Spivak rejected the notion that the subaltern is an independent political subject capable of determining its own destiny. She firmly opposed this view, arguing that the concept of the subaltern as a sovereign subject is actually a construct of the dominant discourse of the elite. According to Spivak, the political capacity of the subaltern is shaped by the dominant discourse that emerged as a continuation of elite nationalism. This discourse incorporates the subaltern into the grand narrative of the bourgeoisie’s struggle for independence, while disregarding the unique local struggles of particular subaltern groups.
In contrast, Spivak critiques the approach of 20th-century French intellectuals such as Michel Foucault and Gilles Deleuze, who sought to represent disenfranchised groups, by comparing their radical claims to the moral claims of 19th-century British colonialism. While Foucault and Deleuze believed they could speak for oppressed or “voiceless” groups, Spivak argues that they often ignored the fact that oppressed groups may have their own contexts and ways of expressing their experiences and struggles. Spivak contends that this approach reinforces domination by directing discourse according to the perspectives of the dominant group.
In simpler and more concise terms, Spivak rejects the assumption that great thinkers have the right and obligation to speak for the subaltern. In fact, Spivak emphasizes that the subaltern has its own voice. Spivak’s famous essay “Can the Subaltern Speak?” (1988) is often misunderstood as implying that “the subaltern cannot speak, so they must be represented by intellectuals when they want to speak.” However, Spivak’s meaning is more precisely “Can the subaltern be heard?” That is, The subaltern can speak for themselves about the various issues and problems they face. The question is: are we willing to listen when they speak?
In her early research on Subaltern Studies, Spivak rejected the notion that the subaltern is an independent political subject capable of determining its own destiny. She firmly opposed this view, arguing that the concept of the subaltern as a sovereign subject is actually a construct of the dominant discourse of the elite. According to Spivak, the political capacity of the subaltern is shaped by the dominant discourse that emerged as a continuation of elite nationalism. This discourse incorporates the subaltern into the grand narrative of the bourgeoisie’s struggle for independence, while disregarding the unique local struggles of particular subaltern groups.
In contrast, Spivak critiques the approach of 20th-century French intellectuals such as Michel Foucault and Gilles Deleuze, who sought to represent disenfranchised groups, by comparing their radical claims to the moral claims of 19th-century British colonialism. While Foucault and Deleuze believed they could speak for oppressed or “voiceless” groups, Spivak argues that they often ignored the fact that oppressed groups may have their own contexts and ways of expressing their experiences and struggles. Spivak contends that this approach reinforces domination by directing discourse according to the perspectives of the dominant group.
In simpler and more concise terms, Spivak rejects the assumption that great thinkers have the right and obligation to speak for the subaltern. In fact, Spivak emphasizes that the subaltern has its own voice. Spivak’s famous essay “Can the Subaltern Speak?” (1988) is often misunderstood as implying that “the subaltern cannot speak, so they must be represented by intellectuals when they want to speak.” However, Spivak’s meaning is more precisely “Can the subaltern be heard?” That is, The subaltern can speak for themselves about the various issues and problems they face. The question is: are we willing to listen when they speak?
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews