An Analysis of “Colonized Subordination” in Selected Dramatic Prose Based on Gayatri Spivak’s Theory

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Master’s Degree Graduate, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Payame Noor University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

2 Corresponding author, Assistant Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Payame Noor University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

10.22103/jll.2025.25649.3208

Abstract

Purpose: Gayatri Spivak used the concept of subordination in postcolonial studies to refer to colonized subalterns, arguing that even the theories of critics such as Foucault and Derrida could not prevent the true voices of the subalterns from being heard. Therefore, the voice of the subordinate remains either confiscated or silenced.
Method and Research: This study, using a descriptive-analytical method and relying on Gayatri Spivak’s theory of subalternity, analyzed three plays: “Monsieur Jourdan”, “Setareganeh Faribkhordeh (The Deceived Stars)”, and “Jafar Khan az Farang Bargashteh (Jafar Khan Has Returned from Abroad)”. Through the deployment of elements of popular culture such as vernacular language, humor, rituals, and superstitious beliefs, these works reflect the plight of the underprivileged, whose voices are silenced or distorted in the dominant discourse. In these plays, women and the underprivileged classes are represented not as independent subjects, but as objects of power; However, through symbolic actions, allegorical language, and cultural resistance, a hidden and indirect agency emerges.
Findings and Conclusions: Data analysis indicated that popular culture in these texts plays a mediating role between domination and resistance. On the one hand, it reproduces the mechanisms of discursive domination and places the subordinates in a position of imposed silence. On the other hand, it allows for a kind of symbolic resistance and cultural defense from below. Thus, these plays, while criticizing colonial and patriarchal domination, highlight the capacity of popular culture to represent marginalized voices and micro-resistances.

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References

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Journal of Prose Studies in Persian Literature
Volume 28, Issue 58
March 2026
Pages 1-18

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