The Politics of Silence: Voicelessness, Censorship, and Subaltern Agency in Postcolonial Latin American and South Asian Testimonial Literature

Rahul Thomas, Dr. Nandita Mukherjee

Department of English, RV College of Engineering, Bangalore.

Abstract

Testimonial literature has become a significant narrative form in postcolonial settings, particularly in Latin America and South Asia, where the legacies of colonization, authoritarian rule, caste discrimination, and systemic marginalization have influenced expressive modes. This research article delves into the “politics of silence” inherent in testimonial narratives, investigating how silence is not only a condition enforced by power dynamics but also a deliberate discursive space where subaltern agency is expressed. The study conducts a comparative, interdisciplinary examination of testimonial literature in Latin American and South Asian contexts, placing these narratives within the broader theoretical frameworks of subaltern studies, postcolonial theory, feminist epistemology, and memory studies. The article posits that testimonial literature serves as both a record of repression and a medium of resistance. In Latin America, testimonial writing developed in reaction to authoritarian regimes, revolutionary movements, and political violence, often highlighting collective experiences of oppression and endurance. In South Asia, especially in narratives from Dalit, tribal, and marginalized communities, testimonial texts challenge caste systems, colonial histories, and nationalist silencing tactics. By comparing these two regions, the study uncovers similarities in narrative techniques—such as fragmentation, mediated voice, and collective authorship—that question dominant historical narratives. Through a qualitative comparative approach involving textual analysis of key testimonial works and engagement with theoretical discussions, the research underscores how censorship functions at both institutional and internalized levels. Silence is depicted as both an enforced erasure and an ethical refusal to adhere to dominant narrative norms. Subaltern agency is revealed not only through speech but also through strategic silences, coded narratives, and testimonial witnessing that disrupts epistemic violence. The article concludes that testimonial literature in postcolonial Latin American and South Asian contexts represents a crucial epistemic intervention that redefines agency, authorship, and political representation. It illustrates that the politics of silence is essential to understanding how marginalized individuals navigate power, memory, and resistance. By proposing an integrated analytical model that links voicelessness, censorship, and subaltern agency, the study contributes to comparative postcolonial literary scholarship and opens new pathways for analyzing testimonial narratives within the Global South.

Keywords

Testimonial Narratives; Agency of the Subaltern; Studies in Postcolonialism; Lack of Voice; Suppression of Speech; Literature from Latin America; Literature from South Asia; Dalit Narratives; Stories of Dictatorships; Studies of the Subaltern; Memory in Culture; Resistance in Postcolonial Contexts; Silence in Narratives; Comparative Literature of the Global South.