Abstract
Subalterns constitute the large majority of the members of any social system and are closely associated with the geopolitics of any geographical area. Subalterns have often created alternative economies through their networks of solidarity to rally themselves against the hegemonic scourge of mainstream economies. A subaltern business group is identified in the present study, and the applicability of the characteristics of alternative economies is researched. The objective of the present study is to explore the overlapping space of subaltern business groups and alternative economy. The subaltern has often spoken through qualitative studies in the past. The present study embraces the following steps: (a) tracing the evolution of alternative economy with a view to understanding the characteristics of alternative economy; (b) identifying some distinctive characteristics of alternative economic networks; and (c) utilizing the distinctive characteristics of alternative economic networks, to conduct a qualitative study of an organization of subaltern street peddlers. The narratives collected from the subaltern peddlers are used to present certain inferences about the nature of the overlapping space of alternative economy and subaltern businesses. A conceptual framework is constructed for this overlapping space based upon the present study. Such a conceptual framework of the overlapping space of alternative economy and subalterns may add certain important aspects to the simultaneously burgeoning body of academic works on alternative economy as well as subaltern studies. Scholars and policymakers may be able to understand the alternative economic networks of subalterns better and may establish policies for the sustenance of such networks.
Highlights
The economic crisis of December 2001 in Argentina, and the subsequent hegemonic behaviour by the industrialists of factories gave birth to a movement by unemployed workers to build an alternative economic network through the creation of “productive projects” like bakeries, brick factories, popular education, and child care (Dinerstein2003)
Subalterns, who for ages have been exploited by hegemonic forces, often create their own alternative economy (McCormack 1981) by manipulating social networks built out of a bonding named “subaltern solidarity” (Ortner 1995)
Subalterns constitute the large majority of the members of any social system and are closely associated with the geopolitics of any geographical area (Sharp 2011)
Summary
The economic crisis of December 2001 in Argentina, and the subsequent hegemonic behaviour by the industrialists of factories gave birth to a movement by unemployed workers to build an alternative economic network through the creation of “productive projects” like bakeries, brick factories, popular education, and child care A subaltern business group is identified in the present study, and the applicability of the characteristics of alternative economies is researched. The objective of the present study, is to explore the overlapping space of subaltern business groups and alternative economy. Heley et al (2012) assessed Gibson-Graham’s conceptualization of alternative community economy as possibly simplistic and limited the ability to systematically view, research, and understand the range of economic activities. They build on GibsonGraham’s (2006) binary framework to suggest a new model they call the “compound economy model”. Cooperative Culturally distinctive Ethics and norm based operation Harmonious relations Socially embedded Community owned, led and controlled
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