The 2012 Laureates / Arts and Philosophy / Thought and Ethics

“A Critical Theorist and Educator Speaking for the Humanities Against Intellectual Colonialism in Relation to the Globalized World”
Professor Spivak has shifted a critical theory of “deconstruction” into political and social dimensions, and applied a sharp scalpel to intellectual colonialism which is being reproduced in our heavily globalized modern world. She exemplifies what intellectuals today should be, through her theoretical work for the humanities based on comparative literature and her devotion to multifaceted educational activities.

A Critical Theorist and Educator Speaking for the Humanities Against Intellectual Colonialism

One of the greatest intellectuals of our times, who first captured the spotlight for her superb essay on Jacques Derrida

Professor Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak is the first Indian laureate of the Kyoto Prize and the first woman to receive the Prize in the field of Thought and Ethics.

Born into upper-class society in India under British colonial rule, Professor Spivak moved to the United States after gaining her undergraduate degree and later achieved instant fame worldwide for her English translation of and superb preface to Jacques Derrida’s Of Grammatology. She takes unique approaches to the humanities, and her fields encompass a diverse range including feminism, post colonialism, Marxism, historical studies, and comparative literature. She has since become known for her sharp yet constructive criticism of aspects of society, politics, and culture. Professor Spivak is considered to be one of the leading intellectuals of our times.

On listening to the subaltern voice

In her prominent work, “Can the Subaltern Speak?”, Professor Spivak describes the “subalterns,” meaning those who have been “historically muted,” and sheds light on their existence which we are not even aware of and the difficulty to receive their voices. Presented in that article, the concept of “unlearning” is an attempt to let go of whatever defines oneself, such as cultural background and preconceptions, while clarifying one’s standing position, and to continue to ask questions in order to learn how to listen to the voices of others and to speak with others, all in pursuit of renewal of the self. Her profound reflections on the “subaltern” exert a far-reaching influence beyond the humanities and provide important clues for understanding today’s globalized society.

Professor Spivak has also turned her attention to the potential of comparative literature and other forms of humanities. She looks into literary texts and historical events that are deeply rooted in local languages and cultures and reads them in the context of geopolitical situations and the global economy. In so doing, she has successfully demonstrated through her academic activism the possibility of freeing the world from the restraints of nationalism, which is frequently being emphasized as the world goes increasingly global, and thereby reconstructing the world.

Activities to foster a will for social justice

Professor Spivak’s activities go beyond scholastic pursuits to include social causes. Since 1986, she has built elementary schools in farming villages in her home state of West Bengal, India. She also teaches at those schools on a regular basis to assist local teacher development. Behind such actions is her strong ambition to transform village schools into facilities that can develop future intellectuals who are capable of thinking as critically and proactively as students at elite colleges, and who are equipped and motivated to initiate action for global and social justice. Her relentless efforts to elucidate the structure of oppression, which is rarely visualized in modern society, and to fulfill her ethical responsibilities as an intellectual are attracting profound empathy and respect, both within academic circles and among a wider international audience.

For more details, see the Achievements.