"Frantz Fanon was one of the twentieth century's most important theorists of revolution, colonialism, and racial difference, and this, his masterwo...
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Dec 17, 2009
Colin
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My favorite part of this book was the chapter called "On Colonialism and Psychoanalysis" where Fanon talks about how psychology can be used to colonize and control people, and details how the French scientific community criminalized and pathologized Algerian people through psychology to further colonialism and racism. These concepts are central to radical disability activism and Disability Studies today, and Fanon originally published "Wretched of the Earth" in 1961.
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Dec 16, 2009
Nora
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Must-read for those interested in the effects of colonialism & skeptical about the inevitability of violent rebellion. May not convince you of the necessity of violence, but will explain a few things about the psychology of colonialist occupation. it's not a perfect book - it's full of bitterness and vitriol, but some of its insights are astounding.
Jun 08, 2011
K.D.
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Prior to reading this book, I had absolutely no idea about the French rule in Algeria. Both countries are too far from the Philippines for me to be concerned about. Because it is the reason why Mr. Fanon wrote this book (published in 1961), I had to Google that part of Algerian history in the middle of my reading. I learned that French colonization of Algeria took almost a hundred years (1830 to the 1900's) and it was one of the most bloodiest colonization in the history of the world. The height
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Aug 06, 2008
Matthew
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Like Fanon's previous (and, from my perspective, better) work Black Skin, White Masks, as a middle class caucasian male (MC^2, if you will) it's difficult to offer a critique to The Wretched of the Earth that feels either relevant or responsible. After all, in Fanon's terms, I am (at least through complacency) part of the problem that this work tries to solve: writing this review is a bit like a 1950's Republican critiquing The Feminine Mystique. (Is there really anything to learn here, apart fr
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Aug 25, 2007
Corey
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I will never forget my initial reaction to this book - utter shock. More than any other book I have ever read, this book shattered my entire worldview - permanently. I could not keep my jaw shut as I read the opening line - "Decolonization is always a violent phenomenon."
The book was written by a Black psychologist from Martinique who was stationed in Algeria during the anti-colonial uprising there in the 1950s. His work details the psychological impact that colonization More...
The book was written by a Black psychologist from Martinique who was stationed in Algeria during the anti-colonial uprising there in the 1950s. His work details the psychological impact that colonization More...
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Jun 19, 2010
Widsith
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A distinguished psychiatrist from Martinique who took part in the Algerian Nationalist Movement, Frantz Fanon was one of the most important theorists of revolutionary struggle, colonialism, and racial difference in history. Fanon's masterwork is a classic alongside Edward Said's Orientalism or The Autobiography of Malcolm X, and it is now available in a new translation that updates its language for a new generation of readers. The Wretched of the Earth is a brilliant analysis of the psychology o
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Jan 25, 2009
Christian
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Forgotten by many, one critic has characterized Fanon as the New Left influence that "refuses to die." That may be because he's a fighter, not a lover, and violence is his watchword.
Fanon isn't as much of an intellectual as some make him out, but that doesn't matter. The best of what he offers is rooted in direct observation--in some ways he acts as a scientist observing colonialism, trying to measure the degree and direction of all its damage.
The racism he end More...
Fanon isn't as much of an intellectual as some make him out, but that doesn't matter. The best of what he offers is rooted in direct observation--in some ways he acts as a scientist observing colonialism, trying to measure the degree and direction of all its damage.
The racism he end More...
Jul 25, 2010
Jane
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I recommend Colin's review, especially on Fanon's masculinist approach - go read that.
Other things to say - I think "On Violence" is the best essay in the book, and put in front for a reason. It's brilliantly written, an unforgettable indictment of the utter, unforgivable evil of colonialism. I won't forget Fanon's characterization of Nazi Germany's empire as colonialism within Europe, which I think is incredibly illuminating.
That said, I hate the way discussio More...
Other things to say - I think "On Violence" is the best essay in the book, and put in front for a reason. It's brilliantly written, an unforgettable indictment of the utter, unforgivable evil of colonialism. I won't forget Fanon's characterization of Nazi Germany's empire as colonialism within Europe, which I think is incredibly illuminating.
That said, I hate the way discussio More...
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Apr 29, 2009
DoctorM
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I assigned this for a couple of classes I taught on Nationalism, Revolution & Ethnicity. It's a classic indictment of the effect colonial rule has on the minds and psychology of the colonised and a classic justification for revolutionary violence as necessary catharsis. It's a powerful book, and Fanon was a skilled writer and a trained and practicing psychologist among the 'assimilated' middle classes of French colonies. Fanon speaks for the rage of the partly-assimilated, educated colonised: le
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Apr 22, 2009
Kim
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Amazing. The book jacket says "Readers owe it to their education to study the whole of it." I thoroughly agree.
It's interesting to see the results of decolonization almost 50 years after this book was written. Interesting and depressing as I'm not so sure many countries have headed Fanon's advice to "start a new history of Man." I also think too much credit is given to Europe, or notoriety. I'm not so sure setting the continent and the West as the root of all evil More...
It's interesting to see the results of decolonization almost 50 years after this book was written. Interesting and depressing as I'm not so sure many countries have headed Fanon's advice to "start a new history of Man." I also think too much credit is given to Europe, or notoriety. I'm not so sure setting the continent and the West as the root of all evil More...
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Jul 10, 2011
Not rating this one, because it would be impossible. I read this as a recommendation to learn more about the French-Algeria conflict. It was more philosophical than factual, which is what I needed (but I've found another one for that.) but the philosophy was though provoking. Especially as I look at his theory of colonization and decolonization based on experiences of my own lifetime (the Balkans, Rwanda)
Recently, I was watching an episode of the super annoying Treme, and the scene wa More...
Recently, I was watching an episode of the super annoying Treme, and the scene wa More...
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Mar 20, 2011
Frantz Fanon was considered a radical thinker in his time. But nowadays, who honestly defends colonization? Maybe a few old right wing French and Brits muttering through their mustaches in smoke-filled bars in Aix-en-Provence and Sheffield, but the rest of us have come to realize the truth of the matter. In "Black Skin, White Masks," Fanon performed a subtle psychological analysis of the colonial situation, but in "The Wretched of the Earth," he takes his fight to the stre
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Apr 11, 2010
The basic premise that decolonization is a violent phenomenon still seems pretty revolutionary to me, as do his attempts to analyze the effects of colonization on the psychology of the native. I'm not sure if I buy his 3-step method by which colonized people develop their own culture, the clinical way he describes the native turning first to then from the colonizers culture, ultimately arriving at this almost Hegelian synthesis just feels too simplistic, too much like generic agitprop. His concl
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Feb 17, 2010
Dani
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Started this today, and have only read the preface, but holy shit, Sartre's preface is the preface to end all prefaces. I am stoked for this.
... Turns out the preface is kind of better than the book in its entirety. Oh well. Still worth the read.
Fanon's language and enthusiasm allow us to easily get lost in his words, and it is clear that the prospect of a free and sovereign nation is what provides his voice with fervor and excitement. However, he seems caught between a More...
... Turns out the preface is kind of better than the book in its entirety. Oh well. Still worth the read.
Fanon's language and enthusiasm allow us to easily get lost in his words, and it is clear that the prospect of a free and sovereign nation is what provides his voice with fervor and excitement. However, he seems caught between a More...
Sep 13, 2009
Dan
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i was somewhat familiar with the historical relevance of this book when i started it, and i must confess that (at first) my preconceptions almost interfered with the reading experience itself. the wretched of the earth is perhaps best remembered for its moments of insurrection - its advocacy of violent resistance and its status as an emblem of the french-algerian war. it's certainly noteworthy for both of those reasons, but it's not limited by them at all.
in 2009, it can be easy to a More...
in 2009, it can be easy to a More...
Jul 08, 2010
Scoop
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I have always been interested in the effects of colonialism and my father recommened Frantz Fanon a couple years back as a source for explaining the mindset of exploited populations, particularly Africans. This is the only book I have happened to read by him. I pretty much enjoyed it. My copy has an introduction by Jean-Paul Sartre. I think that though some of his ideals promoting violence for curing the negative effects of colonialism are a bit antiquated and utopian, I nevertheless feel that h
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Dec 05, 2011
S.D.
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I first read this in college. I felt it was time to read it again – and was correct. Much of Fanon’s analysis of revolution is as applicable to America today as it was to colonial upheavals in the 1950s-60s. American society is, in effect, a situational colonization: a slim minority profits by exploiting the majority, albeit much of that majority’s full, if misguided, support. Chapter 3, on the pitfalls of national consciousness, in particular should resonate with those disappointed in the la
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Sep 22, 2010
Jafar
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Today Sartre would be sent to Guatanamo for the introduction that he wrote for this book.
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Nov 11, 2010
Rick
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Does colonization of indigenous people recreate their culture and existence in ways that dehumanize them and redefine them in terms used by that colonizer? Fanon's argument is a good one, taken from the perspective of a psychiatrist as well as a political philosopher. This powerful book was timely in the 1960s and inspired much of the thought behind movements for equality and civil rights in places far from colonized Africa, which is the milieu of his discussion. But it's still important toda
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Dec 27, 2011
Naila
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I found myself nodding my way through the first few chapters, and crying through the last. It's really a timeless piece, invaluable in its points of focus and digressions alike. What's unique about Fanon is that he doesn't shy away from being critical and exposing the weak points of the colonized; he doesn't paint them as heroes, he doesn't even try to justify their reactions. Rather than this detracting from his arguments, the criticisms serve to further the point in themselves that this is w
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Jul 30, 2011
Phil
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Fanon's most famous book, in which he lays out his theory of Manechiesm. Essentially, this theory argues that the colonizers use violence, so the native must respond equally with violence, and that race is the ultimate dividing line between the two groups. Heavily Marxist in his theoretical analysis, Fanon also draws on his psychological training to discuss the psychology of colonial oppression and the dehumanizing nature of the colonial project. This is a crucial text for anyone interested in p
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Feb 06, 2012
Miquixote
rated it:
Exemplary leftist work.
Some say the most complete synthesizer of political and psychological struggle.
The question is: was Sartre right that his book was an advocacy of violence? Or was Bhabha right that that is too limited a take. Undoubtedly they are both right.
The colonized are a in a position of being violated and liberating themselves (through violence) in such an extreme context is cathartic, but not without its negative effects (the part about the devastatin More...
Some say the most complete synthesizer of political and psychological struggle.
The question is: was Sartre right that his book was an advocacy of violence? Or was Bhabha right that that is too limited a take. Undoubtedly they are both right.
The colonized are a in a position of being violated and liberating themselves (through violence) in such an extreme context is cathartic, but not without its negative effects (the part about the devastatin More...
Dec 22, 2011
Natalie
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This is one of those books that I am embarrassed to lend out to other people because I have underlined in it EVERYWHERE.
The first 60 or so pages were very slow for me, but then Fanon really hit gold. As Sartre pointed out in his introduction, I was not the audience for this book. It was written for his revolutionary compatriots in the 3rd World. And it was stirring.
This rating would be 4.5 stars if available. The subject matter was incredibly important. You could tell it oc More...
The first 60 or so pages were very slow for me, but then Fanon really hit gold. As Sartre pointed out in his introduction, I was not the audience for this book. It was written for his revolutionary compatriots in the 3rd World. And it was stirring.
This rating would be 4.5 stars if available. The subject matter was incredibly important. You could tell it oc More...
Apr 09, 2011
Katie
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Wow. Get the version with Sartre’s introduction, because that was actually one of my favorite parts. When Sartre says that you (a non-African) ought to have the courage to read this book because “it will make you feel ashamed, and shame, as Marx said, is a revolutionary feeling” ---he’s excellent. He’s also really great at explaining to the reader that you SHOULD feel alienated and like you don’t get to understand this book. Fanon certainly hasn’t written it for YOU; you don’t get to be a pa
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Oct 24, 2007
Jason
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Fanon's book is a classic of post-colonialism and was widely read during the Vietnam Era. An Algerian writing at the end of the war for Algerian independence, he describes the collective struggle of Africans and Arabs alike to free themselves from the shackles of the exploitative capitalism of the Western powers and the damage that their colonialism inflicted on the natives. Fanon has a very strident and defiant tone and his political theory is decidedly Marxist, strangely though, unlike Marx, F
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Oct 11, 2008
Alex
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This is definitely a period piece. By the facts and references filling the volume, along with the writing style, but more importantly the politics espoused here, you can definitely tell this was written in 1960-61, right as Africa as a continent was throwing off the old European colonial system.
The book is a call to action and a product of that specific struggle, but the ideas can be applied to a much broader scope as well. Fanon makes us FEEL self-determination, pulsing through our More...
The book is a call to action and a product of that specific struggle, but the ideas can be applied to a much broader scope as well. Fanon makes us FEEL self-determination, pulsing through our More...
Jul 02, 2009
Charlie
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As with my first attempt to read The Wretched of the Earth, the mere sight of the cover is enervating. I can barely get through a sentence without lifting my eyes and looking around for a distraction: a bug on the wall, a jogger on the sidewalk--just about any banal thing. Instead of following the sense of Fanon's arguments, I pick out individual words and, from them, depart on totally tangential trains of thought. I'll emerge from a reverie, the book still open in my hands, and realize that I'v
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Feb 20, 2011
Wale
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It's easy to realize Fanon knows what he's writing about cause he was in the trenches of the Algerian struggle for independence body and soul, not an aloof intellectual postulating empty theories.
Though I found it difficult following his reasoning in the section on 'Violence' largely because the Nigerian transition to independence was relatively peaceful compared to nations like Algeria, Congo, Angola etc.
The conclusion to this book is a challenge to all non-westerners that I hope on More...
Though I found it difficult following his reasoning in the section on 'Violence' largely because the Nigerian transition to independence was relatively peaceful compared to nations like Algeria, Congo, Angola etc.
The conclusion to this book is a challenge to all non-westerners that I hope on More...
Apr 01, 2009
Larry-bob
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I can't believe nobody told me to read this before. I mean, people mentioned Fanon before, particularly Reginald Lamar. But anyway, I finally got around to reading it. At first I was a little irritated by his snap dismissal of nonviolence (p.61) (not even bothering to mention Gandhi) but in general it's amazing that he was writing in 1961 and it's still so relevant. You can read it and think of Iraq, the Palestinian situation, etc. It was helpful for me that I've seen the film The Battle of Algi
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Oct 06, 2009
Sarah
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some good pearls about race relations that stick in my conscience and are useful in conversation every now and then. Love his simile for the Caribbean: "Brothel of the West". It is absolutely appropriate and I find myself putting the phrase to good use.
I mainly give 3 stars because the translation from French was often cumbersome and literal; it was frustrating to feel as if *I* knew what Fanon was trying to say better than the translator did!
I mainly give 3 stars because the translation from French was often cumbersome and literal; it was frustrating to feel as if *I* knew what Fanon was trying to say better than the translator did!
