Fanon's 'The Wretched of the Earth'

Question 1

Fanon: Background Info

Answer 1

• Born in 1925 in Martinique, died 1961 aged 36 in Algeria
• Wrote when w=knew he was dying, a violent book where he didn’t hold back
• A marxist so focus on bourgeoisie and proletariat

Question 2

Fanon: Violent Colonialism

Answer 2

• Colonialism didn’t require violence but was still violent
• It’s exploitation and domination in its purest, most brazen and shameless form
  Violence in a colony is open, unconcealed and evident, no ideological mask over exploited natives

Question 3

Fanon: Violence’s effect on Natives

Answer 3

• Recognised psychological and physical harm
• Not being able to respond to violence, their rage and resentment builds up
• These emotions are released in dreams and in myths which are even worse than colonial reality
• Need for actual violence, but unable to fight settlers, so turn on each other
  
  • This gets turned into justification for why natives need settlers and colonisation

Question 4

Fanon: Violent Decolonisation

Answer 4

-“De-colonisation is always a violent phenomenon”
- Does not care for the fate of settlers, decolonisation isn’t to live in justice but to replace them
- “The colonised man finds his freedom in and through violence”
- Brings natives together, necessary violence gives them a common purpose they lacked beforehand
- Creates a collectivity that will form the basis of the political entity that will exist once independence has been achieved
- Inwards violence finds proper outlet, so dignity can prevail into their own share of humanity
- Natives have learnt colonist language, decolonisation would be in this: violence
- Violence has cleansing power on individuals, rids indigenous people of the inferiority complex imposed on them, gaining confidence
- Colonists have convinced colonised intellectuals of individualism, decolonisation will teach them power of collective, ideas that were forbidden
- Postcolonial nation building also steeped in violence, now fight poverty, hunger etc.