UC Merced Undergraduate Research Journal

The field of subaltern studies emerges from the progression of historical studies and anintegration of indigenous literature and research into the formally recognized academic scope ofhistory. This integration is the beginning of a greater movement towards better understanding theperipheral sides of history, the stories of the marginalized. In this paper, I analyze the impact ofpost-colonial literature from the side of marginalized and its effect on our greater understandingof the universality of the human condition. I find that through balancing an understanding of therelationship between “center” and “periphery”, a strong sense of empathy emerges, stemmingfrom the ultimate transcendence between these two worlds through breaking down cultural andhistorical barriers and creating room for the voices that never had a chance to be heard but carrythe heaviest impact in harboring global unity.