The Question of Subalternity: A Reading of George Ryga’s the Ecstasy of Rita Joe

Abstract

Critics fail to situate the works of subaltern literature beyond the constrained sphere, which includes the voiceless, oppressed, inferior rank; the colonial populations who are socially, politically and geographically outside the hierarchy of power and social groups excluded and displaced from the socio-economic institutions of society in order to deny their political voices. This poses many questions, the inevitable one being: Is there any other way of approaching subaltern literature? This leads to the question: Do subaltern writings always have to deal with the notion voice and voiceless? This paper, because of a confrontation with such conflicts, takes up George Rygas play The Ecstasy of Rita Joe (1967) as a case study. Through this play, this article reflects upon the notion of subaltern.

 Keywords- Subaltern; Voiceless; Articulation of the oppressed.