Can the Subaltern Speak?

Can the Subaltern Speak? (1988) by Gayatri Spivak is a foundational postcolonial theory essay arguing that Western intellectual frameworks systematically prevent the colonized subaltern—especially women—from being heard or represented on their own terms.

Established the postcolonial critique of Western representations of Third World subjects; the question 'can the subaltern speak?' became a touchstone of postcolonial and cultural studies.