subalterns

noun

1. A subordinate.
2. A commissioned officer having a rank below that of captain; a lieutenant or second lieutenant.
3. A subaltern proposition; a proposition implied by a universal proposition. For example, some crows are black is a subaltern of all crows are black.
4. (literary theory) A member of a group that is socially, politically and geographically outside of the hegemonic power structure of the colony and of the colonial homeland.