The History of Colonial India - Research Paper Example

The History of Colonial India Introduction The Indian subcontinent was ruled by the European superpowers like British, Portuguese, and French for more than a century. The people of the country had to bear the atrocities of the foreigners. The atrocities inflicted by British gave rise to a series of uprisings among various sections of the society like peasants, soldiers, workers. The otherwise docile peasants grouped to fight against their tormentors. This was viewed from two angles - one as crime and the other insurgency. These peasants belonging to the subaltern class found ways to represent themselves as per the works of Guha. But this view has been challenged by Spivak because she views the subaltern class as one which lacks the ability to represent themselves. Comparison The subaltern study is a debatable topic. The term “subaltern” refers to the people belonging to the lower ranks because of race, gender or ethnicity. Their inferior position makes them unrepresentative in the society. They are denied the right to express themselves freely. The social position of the subaltern class deprives them the basic right to voice their opinion against any wrongdoing. Gayatri Spivak describes the subaltern class as the one which lacks the freedom of expression. They are deprived in their social standing due to their inferior position. Spivak’s writings are very often described as opaque and inaccessible by some class of writers but one cannot deny the truth in it. She views the subaltern class to be incapable of expressing themselves. In her view the women do not find any representation in any literary work. Her works highlight the misery of the women. She brings forward the practice of widow sacrifice to show the inhuman treatment meted out to women who lose their husband. ( Spivak Chakravorty, Can the Subaltern Speak?).. She argues about Ranajit Guha’s ideas that the subaltern can represent themselves and are not totally unrepresented. Guha feels that even the marginalised class can organize themselves and rise against the atrocities inflicted on them. In his book “Selected subaltern Studies” he shows how the peasants can unite and rise against the oppression of the landlords and money lenders. Despite belonging to the marginalised class of the society they rose against the British to put an end to the sufferings. (Guha, The Prose of Counter- Insurgency). So, both the writers are divided in their opinion. Spivak describes the self immolation practice which was legal as per the Hindu law to be a crime against the women. She has also described how a young girl committed suicide as she was unable to perform the political assassination given to her by her group. Ranajit Guha feels that the rebellion of the peasants can be viewed from two angles - one condemning the peasant movement and second regarding it as a fight against the cruelties they had to face at the hands of the local people. From one viewpoint the peasant rebellion can be seen as a protest against the men in power. Here again peasant revolt against the Englishmen seems to be justified, whereas from the other viewpoint, the peasants protests were a disruption to the tranquillity in the society. The rebellion by the peasants was seen as an act of terror. The same was viewed as a fight against the atrocities inflicted on them by the privileged section of the society at the behest of the British. Basically, the peasants wanted to break the system of subaltern class. So., their fight was not just to acquire independence from the British rule, but to also gain independence from the shackles of the subaltern system. . The workers and the peasants did not lack the anti-colonial sentiments but their struggle for justice was politicised, and the fragmented nature of the struggle could never take the form of a national movement for liberalisation (Guha, On some Aspects of the Historiography of Colonial India). Their rebellion could not reach the national scale because of lack of direction. Thus, Guha’s arguments remain trapped between the two standpoints- one viewing the peasant insurrection as signs of violence and the other considering it as a fight for justice. He projects the subaltern class to be capable of representing themselves against any kind of injustice. But Guha’s views are in contrast to Sivak’s views who feels that the subaltern class as the name suggests is incapable of any representation. She has used a number of instances to prove her point be it “sati” or the suicide of a teenaged girl. All these depict the subaltern class as the most neglected. They are voiceless when it comes to rising against the inhuman treatment that they have to face in the name of Hindu laws. The views of Spivak are diametrically opposite to the one expressed by Guha. The opening up of subaltern class is next to impossible for if this happens it will change the meaning of the term itself. Although she is encouraging of the Guha’ views, she also criticises it. In reality, the economically suppressed subaltern class do not have the requisites that are required to be heard of. Their status as dictated by the society renders them absolutely powerless. The leaping to death of the widowed women in the name of ritual goes to show the plight of the women. This self-sacrifice of the widowed woman is itself in sync with the meaning of the subaltern class. Such religious practices are in absolute violation of humanity. The ‘sati’ was looked as an act of martyrdom. The meaning of the word sati is good wife. This is nothing but a manipulation of the females in the veil of Hindu laws. These widows could never rise up for their rights. They only suffered silently. They had nothing to do with the death of their husband but still they had to immolate themselves. The end of the life of their husband signified an end to their life. All these speak volumes about the subaltern class. So, the term “subaltern” seems to justify the conditions of these people. They are deprived of not just the right to live but also the freedom of speech that a person is gifted. Conclusion The views expressed by Spivak appear to be more acceptable because in reality the people of this class do not get the chance to represent themselves due to their inferior social standing. References Guha, Ranajit. The Prose of Counter- Insurgency. . 1988. Selected Subaltern Studies. Oxford University Press. September 25 2009. Guha, Ranajit. On some Aspects of the Historiography of Colonial India. 1988. Selected Subaltern Studies. Oxford University Press. September 25 2009. Spivak Chakravorty, Gayatri. , Can the Subaltern Speak?. September 25 2009. Read More