Can Resistance Scholars Hear the Subaltern Speak?

Excerpt: How should we, as resistance scholars, interpret and respond to public speech by subaltern subjects like Fannie Lou Hamer, subjects who generally lack discursive access, lines of social mobility, and political influence (Spivak, 1988; Morris, 2010; Guha, 1982-1999)? Our most common response is to focus on whether and how they contribute to contentious politics (Tilly and Tarrow 2006). Do the words of subaltern resisters increase the capacity of protest groups and social movements for mass mobilization and public persuasion, or not?