The Subaltern Silence: Resilience and Rupture in Western Punjab During the Partition (1947)

• MUHAMMAD ATIF

  Author

This research paper delves into the profound, yet often obscured, impacts of the 1947 Partition on the subaltern class within Western Punjab, focusing on their experiences amid the cataclysmic events of the mid-twentieth century. Employing a case study approach rooted in the theoretical framework of Subaltern Studies, this analysis investigates the socio-economic upheavals, cultural dislocations, and systemic political marginalization faced by these marginalized populations—including landless labourers, small farmers, and minority women—as they navigated the turbulent birth of two nations. The study posits that the Partition fundamentally reshaped the social structure and identities of the subaltern, instigating long-term disruptions far beyond the immediate violence and displacement. Drawing on primary oral histories, governmental reports, and scholarly secondary literature, this research foregrounds the systemic vulnerability of marginalized groups to violence, resource deprivation, and the fracturing of cultural ties. Furthermore, it highlights the remarkable agency and resilience demonstrated by the subaltern communities in developing survival tactics and actively reconstructing their shattered lives. The paper ultimately argues for the centrality of subaltern perspectives in the broader historical discourse of Partition, thereby offering a more inclusive, thorough, and human-centred understanding of this transformative period.

• pdf

Copyright (c) 2025 MUHAMMAD ATIF (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.