Prof. Dr. Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak: Affirmative Sabotage

On 26th February 2018, in the framework of ERIAC first outreach program “International Cultural Outreach Program”, Prof. Dr. Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak form Columbia University gave a lecture together with Roma feminist scholars.
In this panel discussion organized in ERIAC’s office and art space, outstanding Roma activists discussed the transformative potential of transnational alliances and the power of the periphery to renew social cohesion. Through mobilizing the knowledge of Roma people, Roma feminists proposed to rethink the relationship between nationalism and diversity, searching for answers of what it means to be European today, in a continent divided by political challenges.
The discussion was inaugurated by a lecture of professor Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak on the notion of "Affirmative Sabotage". In her lecture, professor Spivak spoke about the need for a “New Humanism” and linked the contemporary scholarly debates to the current situation of Roma.
Professor Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, born 24 february 1942 in Calcutta, India, is a literary theorist, feminist critic, postcolonial theorist, and professor of comparative literature. She is a professor at Columbia University, where she is a founding member of the institute for comparative literature and society. Considered one of the most influential postcolonial intellectuals, prof. Dr. Spivak is best known for her seminal essay “Can the subaltern speak?” And has eleven 11 honorary doctorates form universities across the world.

[@utsabiswas5893]

Excellent lecture. Truly fascinating.

[@shezad7165]

Wow....Awesome

[@dr.geetawaghmare3202]

Wonderful talk

[@aaradhyabajpai1137]

Great job , ma'am.

[@pareshpatel2440]

Spivak's exploration of the subaltern in her lecture offers a thought-provoking analysis of the ways in which colonialism and postcolonialism have shaped social structures, urging us to critically examine the intersections of identity, power, and resistance.

[@umamicashflow1809]

Is this the opening of your college paper?

[@yuriarin3237]

chatgpt made comment

[@prasadkrupakarr.angadi8574]

Excellent Presentation madam , we came know about important aspects of affirmative sabotage

[@neelimagchaudhari5434]

Thank you UGC HRDC Gujarat University...

[@sachinmachra9]

🙏

[@ImpinderjeetKaur-nd4lb]

Very insightful session madam.

[@dr.surendraparmar2336]

Excellent presentation

[@jb8839]

Very informative

[@subratabiswas14]

Proud to be an Indian

[@romanochavo829]

Roma people and Indian people's brother forever ❤️🇮🇳❤️🇮🇳

[@carkjung]

Shut up

[@carkjung]

You will own nothing and be happy

[@njeyaraj63]

Very nice

[@dr.syednasrullabakhtiary6416]

The presentation clarifies many concepts pertaining to Colonialism and Post colonialism. It opens one's vision to focus on the depths of human truths and realities.

[@cliffpinchon2832]

you mean "European truths and realities"...

[@gavinyoung-philosophy]

@@cliffpinchon2832No, that’s the whole point of postcolonial studies is getting outside of blind acceptance to Eurocentric ways of thinking.

[@cliffpinchon2832]

@@gavinyoung-philosophy Sir, you've missed my point entirely...

[@prashantagorain4173]

Excellent mam

[@ramaprasaddas785]

I am personally indebted to her for her wisdom.

[@ramaprasaddas785]

I'll remain indebted to you through out my life.

[@SKD1947]

World will always remember her....👍😊🌸

[@martinseptimryden7272]

well she does not have any kids so I'm guessing noone will remember her after one generation.

[@SKD1947]

@@martinseptimryden7272 Bro take care of yourself 👍

[@tdof7217]

​@@martinseptimryden7272 how can you say that while using the internet

[@abdullahalmamun5032]

Usa don't recognize Deepika Padukone now.. lost in time😢

[@gruntgobshite]

@@martinseptimryden7272 We don’t remember your mum because she had you, we remember her because she slept with every SS officer in the Third Reich.

[@barbarelladesbois4789]

🌷🍀

[@Cyberphunkisms]

honestly, it CAN't REALLY be used to save intellectual labor...

[@srinivasansundarum6326]

Why is this talk not about Roma people diaspora issues as opposed talking about her other exploits?

[@TropicofCapricorn.]

These blokes are best at self eulogising.😂

[@nandinibhattacharya9876]

Interesting! But the comment about caste as a unifying principle is deeply problematic

[@shuvampaik]

Is there anyone from WB

[@Bappashandwriting]

Yes

[@politics4270]

Sorry too much i ,and i in you thought mam.

[@rahulgautam8661]

Too much you in your sentence?

[@TropicofCapricorn.]

​@@rahulgautam8661too much stupidity in your comment

[@TropicofCapricorn.]

Word is she's writing a revised version of her book titled, Is Elon Musk Rich? 😅

[@benzbara_]

I love can the subaltern speak

[@spectra2005]

why hasn't she been awarded the nobel peace price already???

[@deviantvc]

For what precisely?

[@TropicofCapricorn.]

Lol 😂

[@ajitp3756]

she is not smoking today !.

[@CalmGlacier-sr2pb]

is she getting Nobel Prize

[@LarzGustafsson]

I am surprised by the fact that some travellers claim that they did not derive from India. As if India is not good enough.

[@Pauliepoika]

It’s because of the weird affinity that Pentecostalism offers Roma that plays into traditional Roma spirituality. It’s why many African nations embrace it. Anyway, this then trickles down into a Christianised version of our history that we are “of Israel” even though all our DNA markers, amari čib, our traditions are all out of India. That said, I believe our Roma identity was forged outside of India.

[@Vampyrdanceclub]

instant soup?!?!??!

[@GunaSekar-vv3gt]

Why the Mam Limiting with Audience and her self only with Romos....? When she Spark about Philosophy then it should be Universally acceptable Formula ...

[@yogeshsirsat]

a

[@sp_liberated]

Was she suggesting that casteism provides stronger secularism.? That’s outrageous.

[@saptakbanerjee6495]

she said it leads to it. if the pendulum swings very hard one way then it will also swing hard the other way .

[@nmrn148]

lol all these comments are identical

[@umamicashflow1809]

Can the subaltern speak? The subaltern: Hi 👋

[@revivlerech9020]

I'm imagining these Roma activists listening to someone lecturing to them about HER VISION for them and how they (and Roma children) fit into the project of Affirmation Sabotage and a whole lot of academic post-modern, post-structural, post-colonial jargon. As if her being an (upper class) Indian rather than European somehow gives her credibility as being one of the people she's talking to. She's engaging in that same well-intending "LET ME TELL YOU WHAT YOU OUGHT TO DO" she criticizes.

[@wiseonwords]

Yep! 100% correct!

[@srinivasansundarum6326]

I thought she is supposed to talking about the Roma diaspora but she is giving all sorts Of anecdotes about her other pursuits rest of the world.

[@deedhesi8014]

Wow, that's extremely assumptive.

[@alainhumura7476]

The irony of this statement is that its commentary tries to use identity politics to undermine the lecture while it cherry-picks a statement out of context. It also tries to fear monger with terms like post-modern and post-structural in a vain manner that completely reveals an ideological perspective and a lack attentiveness to Spivak’s context within the subaltern-the fringe untouchables poor in India. You have managed to express a lack of attentiveness to the lecture and more broadly displaced the autonomy of the centre which seeked Spivak’s input on matters of subalternity.

[@noracism7382]

​​@@alainhumura7476You are indeed into the field of research and core follower of Spivak. And a woman surely. 😂😂😂 Probably upper class too 😂😂😂

[@PsychologyKeAnusar.]

her negative attitude toward jnu'S professor was extremely bad

[@sibellakingston52]

"I'm an upper class Indian, caste Hindu" - complains about racism. Oh the irony.

[@jammathai]

She was saying that she had never experienced racism in that way precisely because of her upper class background. I highly doubt that the racists at Cambridge in the sixties cared about her caste.

[@Pauliepoika]

You can be aware of this as an aspectual part of your identity/legacy and use it for a force for good. I get what you’re saying and I also get that Spivak, herself, knows this.

[@daseinz]

That was intentional mate. Evolve and watch the video again, you swamp water amoeba.

[@falaicha]

The irony was expressed by spivak, did you listen what she said or rushed to comment to prove yourself smart arse.

[@wiseonwords]

@@jammathai - I find her claims of racism highly dubious! Sorry, I don't buy it.

[@19683]

For clipped English and halo lady is a fake, she was born in 1942, so lived 5 years as a colonial subject, through Calcutta massacre of Hindus, partition of Bengal, Hindu genocide and all that. Hindu to this day is a persecuted minority in the world, Churchill starved more Bengalis to death than Germany did what they did to the Jews. So much to write and bemoan, will wait for comments though.

[@r.b.8018]

Don’t wait! What you said goes against the set narrative! Nobody gives a damn if Hindus are live or die.

[@gyanuttam]

she speaks in english other wise if in bangla or hindi she will not get an audence to listen seriously

[@2HN.]

Why would she speak bangla or hindi? Does any credible university professor in India teach in bangla or hindi? Even highschool students read English books because of mediocre quality vernacular books. I don't know any university level or college level books that are not in English but famous among students.

[@James-ll3jb]

Is she not dead?

[@pinkpasa2634]

are you alive yet?

[@James-ll3jb]

@@pinkpasa2634 I thought I read somewhere she had croaked.

[@tamir7180]

elitist elitist talk talk

[@xendit1635]

Conwoman

[@deviantvc]

Why?

[@TropicofCapricorn.]

​@@deviantvcnothing of substance in her body of work. Trendy woke stuff.

[@deviantvc]

@@TropicofCapricorn. even if that is true still doesn't make her a conwoman.

[@TropicofCapricorn.]

@@deviantvc it does.

[@LarzGustafsson]

Long live Israel!

[@martinseptimryden7272]

Varför? Vad har Israel någonsin gjort? För all del att det finns fina människor i det landet men deras styre är bokstavligen helt åt helvete med faktiska demoner som ledare.

[@MrTwangstaable]

die israhell die

[@birdie8085]

Lecture can be fascinating, but her attitude is problematic, and nothing to be very proud of.

[@martinseptimryden7272]

You can tell she is a childless woman who probably have been married twice.

[@deviantvc]

How is that important here?

[@trivialgravitas9581]

She is an awful scholar