Description
Book SynopsisThe term 'subalternity' refers to a condition of subordination brought about by colonisation or other forms of economic, linguistic, and/or cultural dominance. This title examines the relationship between subalternity and representation by analysing the ways in which that relationship has been played out in the domain of Latin American studies.
Trade Review“Bringing together aspects of cultural studies, Latin American studies, postcolonial theory, and subaltern studies, this is an important book. . . .” - K. Tölölyan,
Choice“[An] excellent book. . . . It is impossible to convey the richness and complexity of this book . . . I urge everyone interested in cultural politics and political culture at the dawn of the millennium to read it without delay.” - Edward Baker,
Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies"John Beverley’s
Subalternity and Representation is an important and timely work. . . . It is, unquestionably, an invaluable addition to the field of cultural studies particularly for academic institutions interested in creating and/or maintaining dynamic programs capable of responding to the ever-changing landscapes of culture and identity. So too, for Latin American studies,
Subalternity offers the opportunity to engage more fully and more critically the myriad of experiences and expressions that make up this New World." - Shelly Jarrett Bromberg,
Jouvert"The tensions in Beverly's work indicate not so much a personal failure as the stubbornly difficult nature of the political and theoretical problems he investigates. Finally, the most important lesson he wishes us to learn-that academics must assume 'a new kind of responsibility for what we say and do'-is one with which even his harshest critic could agree." - Joseph Flanagan,
interventions“A brilliant discussion of current debates in cultural studies and subaltern studies. Beverley’s style is vibrant, irreverent, subversive, and a pleasure to read. This is clearly one of the most interesting contributions to subaltern studies since Ranajit Guha’s definition of the field in the early 1980s.”—José Rabasa, University of California, Berkeley
“An excellent, compelling overview and
mise en question of subaltern studies. At once clear and conceptually sophisticated, this book engagingly rehearses many of the basic issues, texts and problems of the field but is in no way derivative. It is an intelligent, thorough, thoughtful ‘reading’ of an increasingly important area of study.”— Brad Epps, Harvard University
“[An] excellent book. . . . It is impossible to convey the richness and complexity of this book . . . I urge everyone interested in cultural politics and political culture at the dawn of the millennium to read it without delay.” -- Edward Baker * Arizona Journal of Hispanic Cultural Studies *
“Bringing together aspects of cultural studies, Latin American studies, postcolonial theory, and subaltern studies, this is an important book. . . .” -- K. Tölölyan * Choice *
"John Beverley’s
Subalternity and Representation is an important and timely work. . . . It is, unquestionably, an invaluable addition to the field of cultural studies particularly for academic institutions interested in creating and/or maintaining dynamic programs capable of responding to the ever-changing landscapes of culture and identity. So too, for Latin American studies,
Subalternity offers the opportunity to engage more fully and more critically the myriad of experiences and expressions that make up this New World." -- Shelly Jarrett Bromberg * Jouvert *
"The tensions in Beverly's work indicate not so much a personal failure as the stubbornly difficult nature of the political and theoretical problems he investigates. Finally, the most important lesson he wishes us to learn-that academics must assume 'a new kind of responsibility for what we say and do'-is one with which even his harshest critic could agree." -- Joseph Flanagan * interventions *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
1 Writing in Reverse: The Subaltern and the Limits of Academic Knowledge 25
2 Transculturation and Subalternity: The "Lettered CIty" and the Tupac Amaru Rebellion 41
3 Our Rigoberta? I, Rigoberta Menchu, Cultural Authority, and the Problem of Subaltern Agency 65
4 Hybrid or Binary? On the Category of "the people" in Subaltern and Cultural Studies 85
5 Civil Society, Hybridity, and the " ' Political' Aspect of Cultural Studies" (on Canclini) 115
6 Territoriality, Multiculturalism, and Hegemony: The Question of the Nation 133
Notes 169
Index 195
