ABSTRACT
The article aims to identify the formation and function of caste subjectivity during the period of Dalit Activism of the 1990s in the Indian context. Specifically, the concept by self and its refashioning of itself into the category of ‘subjectivity’ is explored by embedding it in the larger issues of cultural nationalism, ethnic and caste identities. It does so by reflecting upon the various understandings of the notion of subjectivity and their application to Dalit Activism in the Tamil context. It tries to argue that the translation of Western theories went beyond an academic understanding and seeks to engage with these theories. Such a dialogue between theory and practice could not be found in Indian post-colonialism that claims to challenge the Western notion of literature and culture. This phenomenon, the article tries to argue, offers a new understanding of the function of translation in the Indian Dalit context. It argues that the attempt to create a critical consciousness did not end with the pioneering Little Magazines but has been taken to fresh cultural sites by the editors and contributors of the Little Magazines which were launched in the dissenting 1980s and the volatile 1990s.
