What do you mean by Subaltern and when did Subaltern studies start in India?

Subaltern means the lower class or exploited section of society. The word was associated with India in ancient time but this word was also associated with the history of other countries too. In each and every year there is lower or exploited class, which was totally neglected by the history writers or history.

The society of this class was totally neglected by the government as well as society also. Ranajit Guha is called the father of “Subaltern Studies”. The books published during his time were mostly named on it. The writers or historians of Subaltern want to show the position of lower class in world as well as to show the direction to up the condition of lower class in society.

The new thoughts were given with the writing of this historian. Indian historians formed a group and wrote their own thoughts. According to Guha, Subaltern history became much famous in India and also got success at international level. According to Guha what the history writes were away from the reality of lower class he argues that History should also writes, the viewpoint of lower class. There was bounded area for the lower class which had no relation with society as well as with politics evens their presence was also neglected.

The historians who were not happy with Congress nationalism formed a new area which was even not-founded. The area the study of lower class was first touched by Guha. He wrote on (tribes, peasants) also on middle also. Now people started to look towards the problem of the lower class. He gave a new direction to the writing. This writing was totally different from other historians. Ranajit Guha gave six episodes on the Indian lower class and also put a question on the condition of lower in society.

The Subaltern Studies arose in the 1980s, influenced by the scholarship of Eric Strokes, to attempt to formulate a new narrative history of India and South Asia. This narrative strategy most clearly inspired by the writings of Grams was explicated in the writings of their “mentor” Ranajit Guha, most clearly in his “manifesto”.