The Wretched Of The Earth Book Analysis

Frantz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth is a powerful text concerning the struggle faced by colonized people on their journey against colonialism and towards liberation. Rooted not only in psychology but also in Marxism and critical theory, the book provides an analysis of number issues related to colonialism and decolonization. Fanon methodically examines a diverse range of issues including, but not limited to, racial identity formation, language, class, and the way in which they interact with the liberation struggle and alter the relationship between colonizer and colonized. The topic of violence however, is addressed repeatedly. For this reason Fanon is perhaps best known for his views on violence and his belief that the process of decolonization is inherently violent. Yet …show more content…
Essentially, by fostering self-hatred and inferiority complexes, the mind of the colonized became a secondary oppressive force that furthered the hegemonic position of the colonizers. This is why Sartre said in the introduction that “the status of native is a neurosis introduced and maintained by the colonist in the colonized with their consent” (1967, p. liv). Such an asymmetrical dynamic could not be maintained unless the oppressed people embraced their inferiority, even if it was only to protect themselves from the excessive violence. Hence, Fanon’s description of colonialism as “not a machine capable of thinking, a body endowed with reason. It is naked violence and only gives in when confronted with greater violence” (1967, p. 23). Put another way, physical and psychological violence negated the identity of the colonized and help solidify colonization but it was this very degradation of identity that incited the desire within the colonized to remove the colonizer from power.
Decolonization, Violence, and