Identity and Subaltern Actors in the Wars of Independence

Abstract

At this time of bicentenary celebrations, the historiography of the wars ofindependence has gone full circle from first-hand accounts produced by elitesprivileged in the nineteenth century to the current search for the experiences of the subaltern. The grand narratives of the birth of nations written by veteran officers and the 'romantic' generation that followed chose to remember great heroes creating nations. These were at the core of national histories throughout the nineteenth century; however, by the middle of the twentieth century, especially during the last third of the century, these glorious stories of great men were challenged. Initially this was done by Marxist historians and later on by those influenced by the ideas of subaltern studies that were developed by intellectuals grappling with the history of the Indian sub-continent and its legacy of colonial- ism. This dossier reflects on subaltern actors during the wars of independenceby exploring ideas of identity.