Revisiting the historical representation of minorities in India: A postcolonial critique of marginality, memory, and identity

The paper critically examines the historical representation of minorities in India through the intertwined frameworks of postcolonial theory, subaltern historiography, and cultural memory studies. It argues that the construction of minority identities from the colonial census classifications to the postcolonial politics of secularism reflects the continuous exercise of power through discourse. The colonial state institutionalized difference by transforming fluid social relations into rigid communal categories, while nationalist narratives sought unity by silencing diversity. In both cases, minorities were positioned as the “Other” in the story of the nation. By engaging with theoretical insights from Gayatri Spivak, Ranajit Guha, Stuart Hall, and Romila Thapar, this study highlights how historiography, literature, and visual culture have alternately marginalized and recuperated minority subjectivities. The paper further explores how Dalit, tribal, linguistic, and sexual minorities have rearticulated their histories through counter-narratives, oral memory, and digital activism. It concludes that historical representation is not merely an academic concern but a matter of social justice—one that shapes collective memory, identity, and citizenship in contemporary India. The research thus calls for a pluralist and dialogical historiography that values multiplicity over hegemony and memory over myth.