Postcolonialism and Frantz Fanon

HTH 1002 History of Though IIKara Heitz

Postcolonialism• Body of theory responding to Western colonialism• Non-western perspective• How structures of white supremacy are maintained• Western views of the “other”• Hybrid identities• Historical context:• Western colonialism & imperialism• Decolonization & independence struggles

Imperialism, 1914.

The Black Atlantic Diaspora

Frantz Fanon• Born in French Caribbean colony of Martinique

• Psychiatrist, philosopher, political activist

• Worked/traveled all the world

• Influenced anti-colonial movements and postcolonial thinkers

• Black Skins, White Masks (1952)• Psychology of colonialism on colonized

• The Wretched of the Earth (1961) • Gaining independence from colonizers; use of violence

Discussion GroupsGroup 1: What is the meaning of the “Look a Negro” incident in “The Face of Blackness” reading? What does Fanon’s personal experience on a train in France say about the larger psychological effects on colonialism on the colonized? Also, Fanon wrote this in the 1950s. Do you think this statement still applies today?

Group 2: What exactly does Fanon mean by “The Fact of Blackness”? How does he explain persecution against blacks in contrast to persecution against Jews?

Group 3: What is Fanon’s perspective in “The Wretched of the Earth” on the relationship between decolonization and violence? Do you agree with him or not?