Spivak's essay "Can the Subaltern Speak?" is considered one of the key texts in postcolonial theory. Building on the work of the Indian Subaltern Studies group and critically engaging with post-structuralist theoretical frameworks, it centrally addresses the question of the impossibility and possibility of giving voice to those excluded from every discourse. This volume includes a translation of the original version of Spivak's essay, an interview with the author discussing the history of the debate, a postscript to the second version of the text published in 1999, and an introduction by Hito Steyerl.