possm reviewed Les damnés de la terre by Frantz Fanon
A decolonization classic
2 stars
The structure is a little lacking. The chapters are thematically consistent internally, but why any chapter was put where it was is unclear. There is no explicit overarching argument. The addressed audience is anticolonial revolutionaries and a big portion of the book is advice on the way from revolutionary struggle to nation-building. I found these parts boring and hard to get through, they don't really seem relevant anymore. The chapter On national culture is an exception, it is quite thought provoking and I will revisit it. The chapter about mental illness under colonialism is another exception. It is way more concrete and grounded than the other chapters. The case studies of patients are quite heavy to read and definitely left an impression on me.
I'm glad I read this book because it's a classic, but for the most part I'm also glad I'm done with it. Peau noire masques blancs …
The structure is a little lacking. The chapters are thematically consistent internally, but why any chapter was put where it was is unclear. There is no explicit overarching argument. The addressed audience is anticolonial revolutionaries and a big portion of the book is advice on the way from revolutionary struggle to nation-building. I found these parts boring and hard to get through, they don't really seem relevant anymore. The chapter On national culture is an exception, it is quite thought provoking and I will revisit it. The chapter about mental illness under colonialism is another exception. It is way more concrete and grounded than the other chapters. The case studies of patients are quite heavy to read and definitely left an impression on me.
I'm glad I read this book because it's a classic, but for the most part I'm also glad I'm done with it. Peau noire masques blancs was the better Fanon, unexpectedly.