Contextualizing Subaltern Studies in Indian History: A Critical Study of Texts, Phases and Significance

Exploring the Shift in Subaltern Studies: From Political to Social Processes

Abstract

The Subaltern School of Thought marked an exemplar change in the writing of history. Initially, the subaltern narrative was restricted to the political processes of the national movement of India. The social undercurrents were not taken into consideration. The emphasis was on the political involvement of people. This paper attempts to scrutinize the phases of subaltern school and analyze the school’s pre-occupation with political rather than social processes. The paper also aims to analyze whether the written history of the school did not do enough justice to its ideological agenda.