Spivak wins Holberg, savours feat in hometown Kolkata
Times of India | 18 March 2025
123 Kolkata: Literary critic and postcolonial scholar Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak is now in Kolkata, her hometown, as she savours the news of her being bestowed with the 2025 Holberg Prize—the closest equivalent to the Nobel in the field of humanities, social sciences, law or theology research—for her groundbreaking work in literary theory and philosophy.
"I tremendously grateful that the Holberg Committee continues to recognize the importance of the Humanities. No law or policy can prevail if the people do not want it. The Humanities can create a desire for the good of others," Spivak told TOI.
CM Mamata Banerjee on Monday congratulated Spivak "on her attaining yet another top international recognition". Banerjee, in an online post, said she was "charmed by her long and sustained association with pro-poor voluntary services in remote villages of Bengal".
The statement from the Holberg Prize committee read: "Spivak is considered one of the most influential global intellectuals of our time... She receives the prize for her groundbreaking interdisciplinary research in comparative literature, translation, postcolonial studies, political philosophy and feminist theory." The citation states, "Spivak combats illiteracy in marginalised rural communities across several countries, including West Bengal... ."
Spivak graduated in English from Presidency College in 1959. She did her PhD from Cornell University in 1967. Since 2007, she has been a University Professor in Humanities at Columbia University, where she is a founding member of Institute for Comparative Literature and Society.
Professors, Presidency and CU alumni and academics felt the award was an acknowledgement of the influence of Spivak's works on the global humanities community. Dipesh Chakrabarty, postcolonial theory and subaltern studies scholar, said, "It's a big recognition of her contributions to humanities. Her ‘Can the Subaltern Speak??' will continue to be discussed... ."
Political scientist and anthropologist Partha Chatterjee, founding member of Subaltern Studies Collective and her junior in college, said, "Gayatri Spivak is a leading literary scholar. The prize is richly deserved." Chatterjee is the professor emeritus at the anthropology department at Columbia University. "As a literary critic, she is one of the leading lights who changed our perception of literature, history and society," said essayist and translator Chinmoy Guha, also CU's professor emeritus.
Presidency English professor Sumit Chakrabarti said, "This is an honour that not Presidency or Bengal alone but the entire country needs to celebrate."
Spivak received DLitt (honoris causa) in 2014 from Presidency, where she attended the bicentenary celebration. She delivered an online lecture to celebrate the life and works of Ranajit Guha in '22. Presidency registrar Debajyoti Konar said, "This will motivate humanities faculty and students as they strive for excellence." Presidency alumni association vice-president Bivas Chaudhuri said, "We and the English department plan to invite her."