Revisiting the Spivakian Critique of Colonial Epistemes of Modernity
Von Joshua M. Makalintal
Joshua.Makalintal@student.uibk.ac.at
Masterstudiengang Soziale und Politische Theorie, Universität Innsbruck
First published 35 years ago, “Can the Subaltern Speak?” by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak is regarded as a foundational contribution to postcolonial thought and remains an influential force to be reckoned with in both the humanities and the social sciences. The following text is a reappraisal of this legacy, underscoring the imperative to disruptively critique and problematize hegemonic understandings of modernity and global power configurations that engender epistemic violence and material injustices, in addition to provoking possibilities for cultivating counterhegemonic imaginaries and strengthening emancipatory practices.