The lecture by the literary critic and Columbia University Professor Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) spiraled into a major controversy. During the post-lecture Q&A session, when she was asked a question, she repeatedly corrected the pronunciation. This led to tensions escalating, prompting the moderator to intervene.
The incident has now surfaced in a video, uploaded on social media site X by the questioner himself.
The video shows an individual named Anshul attempting to ask a question after the lecture. At that moment, Gayatri corrected him several times over the correct pronunciation of well-known activist W.E.B. Du Bois' name, an outspoken critic of racial segregation. She remarked, 'Du Bois (being mispronounced as Du Boys), could you kindly pronounce his name correctly? If you are speaking about one of the finest historical sociologists of the last century, especially while seated in a university like JNU, learning the correct pronunciation shouldn't be a challenge.' Gayatri further clarified that he was English, not French.
To this, Anshul responded by saying, "If you are through with minor matters...". Gayatri expressed her disapproval, stating that he was being disrespectful to an elderly woman. Subsequently, the moderator stepped in, urging Anshul to ask his question succinctly and clearly.
Anshul attempted his question again, mispronouncing Du Bois once more. Spivak corrected him once again, sparking Anshul's anger, at which point Gayatri ignored his question.
Later, Anshul Kumar narrated the incident on social media, which triggered a debate. Some criticized Gayatri's conduct as arrogant and unnecessarily insulting, while others defended her stance. A social media user commented that emphasizing correct pronunciation by Gayatri was appropriate.
Who is Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak?
At 82, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak is a leading intellectual with numerous accolades to her name. As a literary theorist and feminist critic, her work challenges patriarchal structures, probing especially into women's experiences in colonial and post-colonial contexts, and advocating for marginalized voices. She is currently a professor at Columbia University. Notable works include 'Can the Subaltern Speak?' and 'In Other Worlds: Essays in Cultural Politics'.
