History has often been spoken of in terms of the victor’s story, with victory being understood as the usurping or capture of power. This victory is understood through the state, its progress, and its actors. But victors are only a small part of social reality. In this course, we look at those who are subordinated, ignored or relegated to the margins of sociopolitical processes, who often get looked over and are unrepresented in state archives. 

In this course, we look at those rendered voiceless by dominant modes of history writing. We look at three schools of critical historiography that seek to understand marginalised and subaltern pasts.