Fanon - Racial Lived experience Flashcards
What does Fanon mean by the ‘Manichean’ divide in colonial society?
Fanon argues that the colonial world is divided into two rigidly compartmentalised halves: the coloniser and the colonised, with each position defined in opposition to the other.
It persists psychologically via the pedestal on which whiteness is placed, maintaining a racial binary.
How does Fanon explain the persistence of racism after colonialism ends?
Fanon argues that even after colonialism’s official end, the racialised infrastructure of the European political model remains intact.
He states that the real problem within political institutions is racism itself, a systemic issue that persists and prevents genuine equality.
What does Fanon say enslaves the negro and the white man?
Fanon famously says that the “negro is enslaved by his inferiority,” while the “white man is enslaved by his superiority.”
How does Fanon critique Octave Mannoni’s work on colonialism?
Fanon acknowledges that Mannoni’s The Psychology of Colonization is “intellectually honest” in capturing the psychological dimension of colonialism, but Fanon criticises Mannoni’s claim to objectivity.
He argues that subjectivity must be prioritized to understand colonialism’s full impact.
inside France, whilst he was a psych student
How does Fanon relate his own experience to the impact of colonialism?
Fanon is conscious of his own position as a subject and beneficiary of colonialism. He was influenced by his early years in Lyon, living in poverty alongside Lyon’s North African community.
This experience allowed him to articulate the uniqueness of the lived experience
What is Fanon’s view on how colonialism affects the family and children?
Fanon argues that the family serves as a “miniature of the nation,” racist values instilled in children
He describes how colonial society’s aggression is released through cultural symbols and children’s media, where Black figures are often depicted as evil, fostering alienation.
This social conditioning begins early and re-emphasizes the inferiority complex, making Black children equate moral behaviour with acting white.
How does Fanon use Lacanian psychoanalysis to explain the racialisation of identity?
Fanon draws on Lacan’s mirror stage to explain how the Black child’s identity is formed through misrecognition. The Black child looks into the mirror and sees a distorted, racially inscribed reflection, which is central to the psychological trauma of colonialism.
This is a cause of disorders as it forces the colonised to internalise an inferiority complex.
What does Fanon say about the psychoanalytic framework’s limitations in addressing colonial trauma?
Fanon critiques traditional psychoanalysis for its failure to address the unique form of alienation caused by colonialism.
Unlike childhood trauma, the trauma of colonial subjugation is deeply ingrained in the socio-political structures. This results in a “double process” of oppression: material exploitation and psychological alienation.
What is Fanon’s view on the coloniser’s role in fabricating the colonised subject?
He states, “The colonist is right when he says he ‘knows’ them. It is the colonist who fabricated and continues to fabricate the colonized subject.”
What happened to Fanon on the train?
White child who called him a “Negro” on a train. This is the theme of “thingification,” where the colonised subject is objectified and denied recognition.
Creates a psychic split in the colonised, causing them to suffer from self-loathing and a compulsion to assimilate into white society.
How does Fanon use the shift in perspective in his narrative style to convey alienation?
Fanon intentionally disrupts traditional syntax in his writing, shifting between “I,” “you,” “they,” and “we.” This shifting perspective mirrors the lived experience of the colonised, creating confusion and disorientation.
What does Fanon say about the relationship between Black people and white society in terms of LANGUAGE?
Fanon argues that to speak a language is to take on a world and culture. The Antilles Negro who wishes to be white becomes more “white” by mastering the cultural tool of language.
However, this assimilation does not erase the racialised status of the colonised. The tragic irony that, despite mastering European culture, Black individuals are still reminded of their subhuman status in white society.
How does Fanon describe the psychological toll of colonialism on educated Black individuals?
Fanon describes the internal struggle of educated Black individuals who are alienated from their own race and culture.
He writes, “I begin to suffer from not being a white man…I must bring myself as quickly as possible into the white world… Then I will try to make myself white.”
How does Fanon’s writing style break from traditional academic norms?
Fanon’s writing is deliberately impassioned, breaking from the detached style of academic scholarship. Instead of maintaining objectivity, Fanon engages directly with the reader, using a shifting narrative perspective and urgent tone.
This emotional engagement immerses the reader in the struggles of the colonised, making his critique of colonialism not just intellectual but a call to action.
What role do cultural allusions play in Fanon’s critique of colonialism?What role do cultural allusions play in Fanon’s critique of colonialism?
Cultural references, such as the image of the Senegalese soldier with a red chechia cap, to highlight the complicity of colonial forces.
This allusion to the “tirailleurs sénégalais” — African soldiers who fought for France during World War I — illustrates the tension between colonial subjects and their oppressors, a tension Fanon himself experienced as a member of the Free France Army.
What does Fanon mean by the “Negro is comparison”?
“The Negro is comparison…The Antilleans have no inherent values of their own, they are always contingent on the presence of The Other.”
The colonised person is defined not by their own qualities but by their difference from the coloniser.
How do mid-century French and German philosophers influence Fanon’s thinking about language?
Fanon’s thinking about language is influenced by the philosophical milieu of mid-century French and German philosophy, particularly phenomenology, existentialism, and hermeneutics, which explore the idea that language, subjectivity, and reality are fundamentally entangled.
What does Fanon discuss as one of the most important moments in the book regarding diction and racial embodiment?
In one of the most important moments of the book, Fanon discusses the problem of diction and racial embodiment. He explains that a black person can perfect speech, learn to speak perfect French, and sound like a sophisticated Parisian.
This might promise a certain kind of liberation from alienation through the mastery of proper French. If the black colonial subject learns to speak as well as a white Parisian, then perhaps they could achieve equal participation in language and its world.
What is the issue with the idea that perfect diction can lead to liberation for black people in colonial societies?
The issue lies in the “epidermal character of race.” Even if a black person speaks perfect French, they will still be seen as black, which means they will be marked as special, unique, and surprising. This surprise, Fanon argues, is a reminder of racial inferiority, not in the content of their speech, but because of their black skin.
How does the epidermal nature of race affect the significance of linguistic performance?
The epidermal nature of race limits the significance of linguistic performance because embodiment frames how language is received. Even perfect diction cannot escape the stigma of blackness, meaning the black subject’s speech is always filtered through the lens of racial difference, rendering their linguistic mastery ineffective in overcoming racial boundaries.
What effect does the emphasis on diction have on the relationship between black people?
Fanon observes that the emphasis on diction and the desire to sound white alienates the black person from their fellow black people. The drive to perfect one’s speech as a way to assimilate into whiteness causes the black person to become alienated from their own racial identity, placing them back into the zone of non-being.
