Stuart Hall And Fanon Analysis

The works of both Stuart Hall and Franz Fanon share the similar argument that, even when black people achieve or attempt to combat the stereotypes that are placed upon them, they can never seem to find themselves without some form of alternative criticism, much less on par with their white counterparts. While Fanon and Hall were writing in 1952 and 1997 respectively, their theories and conclusions are still relevant today as humanity continues to navigate ideas of “race” and concepts of the “other.” From Fanon’s work to that of Hall, one can see that there is an apparent progression in the way that black people present themselves and are viewed by society. However, while there have been obvious, positive developments in perceptions of race …show more content…
Writing prior to the major emergence of civil rights efforts, Fanon asserts, “if the [Negro] physician made a mistake it would be the end of him and of all those who came after him… The black physician can never be sure how close he is to disgrace” (Fanon 88-89). Here, it is clear that, at least up until the mid-twentieth century, black people felt as though they were walking on a metaphorical tightrope with the end goal of proving themselves on par with their white counterparts. In this way, black professionals attempting to establish themselves as qualified in their respective field were held to a different standard, made to feel like they had to walk on egg shells with a predominantly white professional community waiting for them to make a mistake. From just this example, it seems that, during the mid-twentieth century, some members of the black community felt that they had to be on their “best behavior” in order to achieve their goal of being considered as equals and allowed to have the same opportunities as those considered