Postcoloniali sm and Frantz Fanon HTH 1002 History of Though II Kara Heitz
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?