Strategic essentialism is a key term in postcolonial
theory, introduced by Indian thinker and literary critic Gayatri Chakravorty
Spivak in 1987. The term deliberately
subverts the meaning of traditional essentialism or "ontological
essentialism".
The meaning of Spivak’s Strategic Essentialism refers to a
political tactic by which social groups that constitute minorities,
nationalities or ethnic groups temporarily build a joint mobilization on the
basis of a gender, cultural or political identity in order to self-represent
themselves. It implicitly recognizes the inherent constructivism of society,
but does not deny its power or the need for political solidarity of a group
that is considered as such, even if it is an artificial exercise. While there
may be differences between members of these communities that may not be agreed
upon in certain debates, it makes it possible for the strategy to be temporarily
imbued with a common "essential " feature". Strategic
essentialism is thus utilized in order to promote their joint position and
simplify the potential to achieve certain goals such as equal rights or anti-globalization
positions. All this without having to
abandon the debate, or positions and differences of each.
An example of resolute solidarity using tactics of
strategic essentialism could be the case of “Sati” : this was a funeral
practice practiced by certain Hindu communities in which the widow of the
deceased had to set fire to the funeral pyre. In her famous “Can the Subaltern Speak?” Spivak holds that the history of this act has only been recorded from
the hegemonic discourses of British imperialism and Hinduism, while the widow's
testimony is nowhere to be found. Spivak explained this recorded lack of voice
in the widespread absence of the voice of those she calls subordinates.
In later years Spivak became critical of her own concept of
strategic essentialism, especially after it was used for nationalists goals.
But still, the concept is also commonly used in the context of Queer Theory and
feminism.
Here you can find an introduction to spivak's thought and summaries of her main works.