Diverse Sex-generic Identities as a Category of Subalternity

Abstract

The Subaltern Studies group emerged in South Asia at the end of the 20th century in order to retrieve the agency of the oppressed social groups of India while criticizing the prevalent trend in historiography. They failed to address, however, the issue of diverse sex-gender identities. This paper examines why this is so and whether these identities are indeed subaltern. The aims of this abstracts investigation are: a) to describe the perspective of gender studies conducted by the South Asian subaltern studies group from its inception to the present days; b) to study how diverse sex-gender identities have been analyzed from the subaltern perspective and, c) to propose the inclusion of diverse sex-gender identities as a category of subalternity. Based upon a review of the work of the South Asian collective group on gender and sexual diversity identities, diverse sex-gender identities are here proposed as a category of subalternity. It is demonstrated that diverse sex-gender identities are subaltern because they have undergone several exclusion processes due to their sexual practices or identities. Thus, the category of subalternity is useful to elucidate the subordination of these social groups.