Frantz Fanon was an Algerian political philosopher and psychiatrist who wrote extensively about the psychological effects of colonialism and violence as means of decolonization. Some of his major works include Black Skin, White Masks, which analyzed the psychological impact of colonialism, and The Wretched of the Earth, where he advocated for violent revolution against colonial rulers. Born in Martinique, Fanon studied in France and volunteered for the French army, but later joined the Algerian revolution for independence. His philosophies centered on the importance of recognizing colonized people's humanity and rejecting colonial influences to build new post-colonial societies.

1. Fanon
ANEEQ HUSSAIN BCS-AI(16)
AWKUM
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2. Biography
 Birth: July 20, 1925
 Death: December 6, 1961
 Algerian political theorist.
 Born in the French colony of Martinique.
 After completing his secondary education in Martinique, Fanon moved to France to
pursue further studies.
 Psychiatrist, philosopher, revolutionary, and writer.
 His works are influential in the fields of post-colonial studies, critical theory and
Marxism.
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3. Biography
 He volunteered for the French army during World War II.
 He was a part of Algerian War of Independence
 In 1956 became an editor of its newspaper, El Moudjahid, published in Tunis.
 In 1960 he was appointed ambassador to Ghana.
 That same year Fanon was diagnosed leukaemia.
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4. philosophy
 Fanon's philosophy can be characterized as a blend of existentialism, Marxism, and
anti-colonial thought. He emphasized the importance of recognizing the humanity
and agency of the colonized and argued that the struggle for liberation was not
just a political fight but also a deeply psychological and existential one.
 Fanon believed that the process of decolonization required a complete rejection of
the colonizer's values, ideologies, and systems. He called for a reclamation of
cultural identity and the construction of a new, independent society free from
colonial influence.
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5. Works or Books
 Black Skin, White Masks (1952)
 The Wretched of the Earth (1961)
 A Dying Colonialism (1959)
 Toward the African Revolution (1964)
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6. Black Skin, White Masks
 While in France, Fanon then wrote his first book in 1952, Black Skin, White Masks,
an analysis of the psychological effects of colonial subjugation on people
identified as black.
 This book was originally his doctoral thesis submitted at Lyon and entitled, ”The
Desalination of the Black Man”.
 Fanon uses psychoanalysis and psychoanalytical theory to explain the feelings of
dependency and inadequacy that Black people experience in a White world.
 Fanon’s works are directly influenced by the Negritude movement, Fanon
reformulated the theory of Cesaire and Leopold Senghor by positing a new theory
of consciousness.
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7. Black Skin, White Masks
 He speaks of the divided self-perception of the Black Subject who has lost his
native cultural originality and embraced the culture of the mother country.
 As a result of the inferiority complex engendered in the mind of the Black Subject,
he will try to appropriate and imitate the cultural code of the colonizer.
 The behavior, Fanon argues, is even more evident in upwardly mobile and
educated Black people who can afford to acquire the trappings of White culture.
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8. The Wretched of the Earth (1961)
 The Wretched of the Earth is a brilliant analysis of the psychology of the colonized
and their path to liberation.
 Fanon defines and explains colonialism and decolonization from a political,
philosophical, historical, and socio-cultural perspective.
 Defines colonialism and its constructs, the psychology of colonialism and its
subtle effects on the colonized, the use of language as a tool of oppression, and—
most important—the need for a (violent) revolution against the colonial, ruling
class.
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9. The Wretched of the Earth (1961)
 Fanon advocated violence against the settlers as the way for colonized people to
regain their sense of self-respect.
 Even if anticolonial violence were the only way to regain a sense of self-respect,
however, such violence would not be automatically justifiable.
 Colonization is a creation of two conflicting societies, one of the colonizer and one
of the colonized.
 This book concentrates on the unlawful and unjust treatment given by the
invaders, which are the Europeans.
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10. A Dying Colonialism (1959)
 An incisive and illuminating account of how, during the Algerian Revolution, the
people of Algeria changed centuries-old cultural patterns and embraced certain
ancient cultural practices long derided by their colonialist oppressors as primitive,
in order to destroy those same oppressors.
 Fanon uses the fifth year of the Algerian Revolution as a point of departure for an
explication of the inevitable dynamics of colonial oppression.
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11. Toward the African Revolution (1964)
 Fanon discusses the potential for revolutionary change in Africa.
 He emphasizes the importance of anti-colonial and anti-imperialist movements
joining forces in the struggle for liberation.
 The book explores the challenges and possibilities of building a united Africa.
 Fanon advocates for grassroots mobilization and the creation of a new political
consciousness.
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12. Toward the African Revolution (1964)
 He argues for armed resistance as a means to achieve genuine independence and
social transformation.
 Fanon addresses the need for African nations to break free from neocolonialism
and establish self-determined economies.
 The book critiques the influence of Western powers in maintaining control over
African resources and economies.
 Fanon calls for the rejection of Western cultural domination and the reclamation
of African identity and heritage.
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13. Criticism
 Oversimplification and essentialism of complex issues.
 Promotion of violence as the primary means of liberation.
 Neglect of nonviolent approaches and political negotiation.
 Lack of intersectionality and inadequate consideration of gender dynamics.
 Eurocentric influence that limits understanding of non-Western philosophies.
 Insufficient concrete solutions and practical guidance for post-colonial societies.
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14. Quotes:
 "I am my own foundation and I have constructed myself." (From "Black Skin, White
Masks")
 "The oppressed will always believe the worst about themselves." (From "The
Wretched of the Earth")
 "When we revolt, it's not for a particular culture. We revolt simply because, for
many reasons, we can no longer breathe." (From "The Wretched of the Earth")
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