Fanon For Beginners

Philosopher, psychoanalyst, politician, propagandist, prophet. although difficult to categorise, Frantz Fanon (1925 - 1961) is one of the most important thinkers of the 20th century and one of our most powerful writers on race and revolution. FANON FOR BEGINNERS provides a clear, detailed introduction to the life and work of the man Jean-Paul Sartre called the voice of the Third World. The book opens with a biography, following Fanon from his birthplace of Martinique through combat in World War II and education in France, to his heroic involvement in the fights for Algerian independence and African decolonisation. After a brief discussion of Fanon's political and cultural influences, the main section of the book covers the three principal stages of Fanon's thought: · The Search for Black Identity, as presented in Black Skin, White Masks, the stunning diagnosis of racism that Fanon wrote while he was studying medicine and psychoanalysis · The Struggle Against Colonialism, as explained in A Dying Colonialism and Toward the African Revolution, essays Fanon produced when he was actively engaged in Algeria's war of independence · The Process of Decolonidation, as analysed in The Wretched of the Earth, the book that extended insights gained in Algeria to Africa and the Third World. FANON FOR BEGINNERS concludes by examining Fanon's influence on political practice, such as the Black Power Movement in the United States, on literary theory and on political studies. This book will serve as an introduction as well as a tribute to the Frantz Fanon and how his works and words continue to have a profound impact on contemporary cultural debate.