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Frantz  Fanon:  Black  Skin,  White  Masks  
 
In  this  book,  one  can  find  an  examination  of  the  black  psyche  and  ultimately  reveal  the  effects  
of  colonialism  and  oppression
...
   ‘Black  Skin,  White  Masks’  is  the  first  influential  work  produced  by  Fanon  in  1952,  he  
also  wrote  ‘The  Wretched  of  The  Earth’  which  also  heavily  contributed  to  the  anti  colonial  
revolutionary  thought
...
   After  
serving  in  the  French  Army,  Fanon  studied  in  Lyon  and  became  a  registered  psychiatrist  in  1951
...
   
Many  scholars  favour  Fanon’s  ‘The  Wretched  of  The  Earth’  in  which  he  justifies  using  violence  
to  achieve  true  independence  from  not  only  the  colonial  regime  but  also  the  notion  that  black  
is  bad  and  white  is  good
...
   
The  book  is  separated  into  8  chapters  which  analyze  attitudes  of  black  men,  interracial  
relationships  and  attempts  to  explain  racial  hatred
...
 During  the  colonial  period,  there  was  a  surge  
of  international  integration  as  peoples  of  different  nationalities  travelled  and  were  often  
educated  in  foreign  countries
...
   He  suggests  
that  the  need  to  speak  proper  French  among  educated  Antilleans  is  an  attempt  to  eliminate  
feelings  of  inadequacy  which  becomes  a  running  thread  throughout  the  book
...
 The  educated  and  well  
travelled  Antillean  supposedly  thinks  he  is  better  than  the  native  Antillean  and  consequently  he  
has  ‘forgotten  where  he’s  come  from’
...
 Furthermore,  Fanon’s  argument  is  slightly  undermined  by  his  insistence  that  there  is  
no  ‘black  problem’  yet  he  dedicates  a  majority  of  the  chapter  to  the  perceived  problem  among  
Antilleans  and  colonies  all  over  the  world
...
 According  to  Fanon,  authentic  love  
between  different  races  is  impossible,  due  to  the  constant  feeling  of  inferiority  in  the  black  
counterpart
...
 Fanon  seems  misguided  in  his  approach  to  interracial  
relationships  as  he  suggests  that  a  black  man  is  incapable  of  making  the  distinction  between  
racists  and  the  women  with  whom  they  fall  in  love
...
 Although  Fanon  tries  to  argue  persuasively,  he  does  not  use  any  
evidence  to  support  his  argument  and  so,  it  is  fundamentally  weakened
...
 Fanon  argues  
that  ‘the  racist  creates  the  inferiorized’  therefore,  the  racist  environment  often  seen  in  colonies  
is  the  reason  for  the  inferiority  complex
...
 Fanon  relies  solely  on  personal  experience  to  suggest  that  ‘blackness’  
is  a  reaction  to  a  lack  of  recognition  by  white  people  as  well  as  racism,  such  personal  experience  
may  be  exaggerated  
...
 Fanon’s  
most  revolutionary  idea  in  the  book  is  that  racial  hatred  among  whites  is  based  on  sexual  
jealousy  of  black  men
...
   This  argument  is  
heavily  flawed  in  that  it  ignores  other  factors  which  contribute  to  white  superiority  such  as  
economic  advantages,  political  power,  xenophobia
...
   
Fanon’s  book  ‘Black  Skin,  White  Masks’  was  crucial  to  Black  Consciousness  movements  and  has  
undoubtedly  influenced  nationalist  movements
...
 Although  Fanon  must  be  
commended  for  his  achievements  in  successfully  analyzing  the  black  psyche  which  is  difficult  to  
do  according  to  empirical  data  due  to  its  nature,  the  biggest  issue  he  faces  is  his  reliance  on  
personal  experience
...
 Nevertheless,  Fanon’s  views  in  this  book  

are  monumental  and  therefore  it  must  be  recommended  to  anyone  attempting  to  understand  
the  black  psyche

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