Annual Review of Political Science
Subaltern Mobilization in the Global South
2026-06-15
Democracy offers subaltern groups tools to reduce inequalities by asserting political equality, but these groups must sustain political mobilization to achieve real gains. In the Global South, subaltern groups confront three key obstacles: ( a ) threats of violence and intimidation, ( b ) the challenge of recovering suppressed histories and forging collective identity, and ( c ) severe organizational deficits. Contrary to expectations, democracy and modernity have not eradicated hierarchy, and new forms of domination persist. As backlash against the expansion of subaltern rights develops, we urgently need to study subaltern politics. Contemporary resubordination revives the same obstacles that historically impeded mobilization.