The paper titled "Cultural Politics of the ‘Subaltern’ Peasants: A Critical Reading of Mo Yan’s The Garlic Ballads" by Mahmoud Ibrahim Ibrahim Radwan examines the cultural politics surrounding the subaltern peasants as portrayed in Mo Yan’s novel, The Garlic Ballads. The primary focus of the paper is to explore how Mo Yan gives a voice to the marginalized peasant class through his narrative, aligning the analysis with the theoretical framework of subaltern studies, particularly the works of Ranajit Guha, Gayatri Spivak, and Dipesh Chakrabarty.
The purpose of the study is to investigate how Mo Yan's narrative provides a platform for the subaltern peasants to express their resistance against the oppression imposed by the dominant classes. The paper delves into the various strategies employed by the peasants in the novel, such as docility, voluntary compliance, folktales, songs, rumors, and memories, to resist the injustices they face. The study aims to highlight the resilience and the cultural strategies of the subaltern, who have been traditionally muted and marginalized in historiographic records.
Methodologically, the paper utilizes a critical reading of The Garlic Ballads, contextualizing it within the subaltern studies framework. The analysis focuses on the narrative techniques and the symbolic representations in the novel that underscore the peasants' struggle against oppression. The author draws upon various scholarly perspectives on subalternity and peasant politics to support the interpretation of Mo Yan's work.
Key findings of the paper include the identification of the various "weapons of the weak" used by the subaltern peasants in the novel, such as songs, rumors, and subtle forms of resistance, which collectively challenge the dominant narrative imposed by the ruling class. The paper argues that Mo Yan’s portrayal of the peasants in The Garlic Ballads serves as a powerful critique of the elitist historiography that has historically dismissed the agency and political consciousness of the peasantry. The peasants in the novel are shown to be capable of disrupting the imposed legacy of silence and subalternity, asserting their agency through both overt and covert forms of resistance.
In conclusion, the study emphasizes the significance of Mo Yan’s work in challenging the traditional historiographic depiction of peasants as passive and politically unconscious. The novel, as analyzed in this paper, serves as an essential text for understanding the cultural politics of the subaltern and their capacity to resist and subvert the dominant power structures. The findings underscore the importance of re-evaluating the role of the subaltern in history and literature, recognizing their contribution to social and political change.