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michaelion's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.75
Amazing. Excellent. Superb.
Historical nonfiction, in my experience, is very repetitive, but here it works. It also works that the books begins (in either the foreword or the preface, idk, 68 pages before we get to the meat of the text is crazy) with whichever writer mentioning that critics of the book have complained that the book doesn't give a good enough blueprint on what revolutionary actions they should take nexts. You fools. You spineless clowns. Fanon literally says over and over here's how the colonizer distracts you and the way forward is not gonna be the same for everyone. The repetition is to show that while every story and its circumstances are different, the root of all their problems come from the same source.
It's depressing that this book published when my grandmother was born (and has since passed) is still relevant to today. I hope it is not relevant by the end of my life time. I hope that people look back at this book as a cautionary tale, a reminder of our history we cannot forget and always, constantly relearn to remember what not to do and how to move forward.
Also kinda fucked up his parents named him Frantz. Sounds like France. Is / Was that a common name?
Historical nonfiction, in my experience, is very repetitive, but here it works. It also works that the books begins (in either the foreword or the preface, idk, 68 pages before we get to the meat of the text is crazy) with whichever writer mentioning that critics of the book have complained that the book doesn't give a good enough blueprint on what revolutionary actions they should take nexts. You fools. You spineless clowns. Fanon literally says over and over here's how the colonizer distracts you and the way forward is not gonna be the same for everyone. The repetition is to show that while every story and its circumstances are different, the root of all their problems come from the same source.
It's depressing that this book published when my grandmother was born (and has since passed) is still relevant to today. I hope it is not relevant by the end of my life time. I hope that people look back at this book as a cautionary tale, a reminder of our history we cannot forget and always, constantly relearn to remember what not to do and how to move forward.
Also kinda fucked up his parents named him Frantz. Sounds like France. Is / Was that a common name?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Gore, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Torture, Colonisation, Racism, Classism, Murder, Slavery, Violence, War, Death, Genocide, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Blood, Deportation, Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Eating disorder, Confinement, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Misogyny, and Rape
Minor: Vomit and Abandonment
mariebrunelm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Cet essai sur la décolonisation est publié en 1961, en pleine guerre d’Algérie. Le contexte est important car Fanon, né en Martinique, a travaillé comme psychiatre pendant les années 1950 en Algérie, et y a constaté les ravages du colonialisme sur les corps et les esprits. Son livre articule ainsi plusieurs notions traitées dans des chapitres distincts mais évidemment liées entre elles de manière profonde. Il commence par un chapitre sur la violence coloniale, ses racines et ramifications, ainsi que ses multiples conséquences et les clichés qui lui sont associés. Il traite de violence physique mais aussi institutionnelle, et du fait que les colonisés sont réduits à y répondre par leur propre forme de violence.
Fanon explore par la suite la notion de conscience nationale, notamment à travers la place fondamentale de la population dans son ensemble, et pas seulement celle des élites. Il récuse l’idée selon laquelle les masses sont forcément stupides et doivent être traitées comme des enfants. Le chapitre suivant est consacré à la culture et à l’émergence d’une culture nationale qui ne doit pas simplement reprendre les codes de la culture du pays colonisateur (c’est-à-dire européen) mais doit célébrer les particularités très spécifiques du pays dans toute sa diversité.
Le dernier chapitre, découlant directement de la profession de Fanon, dresse une liste des conséquences tragiques de la colonisation sur la santé mentale des colonisés : il y est question de troubles psychiatriques à travers des exemples tirés directement des rapports de Fanon, qui rejette d’avance les critiques qui pourraient lui être adressées d’avoir présenté au grand jour des cas relevant du secret médical, d’une part en anonymisant strictement les patients, et d’autre part en expliquant que l’essentiel de ses patients sont des victimes du colonialisme, et que leurs cas doivent figurer dans l’exposé des horreurs induites par les colons.
L’essentiel de cet essai est assez accessible. Des particularités de langage peuvent bien sûr heurter les sensibilités modernes, car Fanon emploie des termes jugés racistes mais qui étaient monnaie courante à l’époque. L’auteur entame son discours comme s’il décrivait les mécanismes universels de la colonisation et de la résistance des colonisés, mais il apparaît rapidement qu’il parle spécifiquement de l’Algérie, dont il a vécu la réalité lors de l’élaboration de ce texte. Et si vous n’étiez pas déjà informé.e des abominations que la France y a perpétrées, et bien je vous recommande de vous renseigner au plus vite. La France n’a pas à faire la morale à d’autres pays colonisateurs lorsqu’elle pratiquait elle-même les sévices inhumains qu’elle reproche à demi-mots aux autres.
C’est grâce à R.F. Kuang et Babel que j’ai découvert ce livre, car elle le recommande dans sa bibliographie de l’édition Waterstones. On voit sans mal ce qui lie les ouvrages, tant la violence coloniale en est la colonne vertébrale. C’est un ouvrage que je recommande, pas seulement pour le Black History Month, mais si vous avez besoin d’un autre incitatif en plus de la recommandation de R.F. Kuang, le voilà.
Enfin, l’exploration des mécanismes de la tyrannie coloniale permet des parallèles affligeants et nombreux avec des situations très actuelles, ce qui est une raison de plus de lire ce livre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Colonisation, Racism, and Police brutality
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Genocide, Sexual violence, and Mass/school shootings
andyourstruly's review
reflective
4.75
This book is what I expected Communist Manifesto to be. Mr. Fanon did an incredible job drawing from the real-life insurrection in front of him and the historical insurrections happening around the world to vividly illustrate his points about the effects of colonialism and what happens after as a nation attempts to pull itself to its feet. Really an incredible read and a must-read for radical leftists everywhere.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Torture
zackdihel's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
4.5
A crucial work. Algeria and African colonies are the focus but Fanon's analyses are applicable anywhere, Palestine most recently embodying the liberatory struggle he elaborates. Fanon's writing on violence, revolution and nation-building is most well-known (and controversial), but the later sections describing the psychological and pathological conditions of the colonized subject are fantastic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Sexual assault, and Violence
katharina90's review
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
A valuable (psycho)analysis of colonialism and decolonial struggle that remains relevant.
At times the writing feels a bit dense. Not sure if it's the translation from French to English, or maybe just the style of a different era that I had a hard time connecting with.
At times the writing feels a bit dense. Not sure if it's the translation from French to English, or maybe just the style of a different era that I had a hard time connecting with.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Mental illness, Colonisation, Murder, Violence, Rape, Torture, and Racial slurs
Minor: Eating disorder and Domestic abuse
funeraldancer's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Masterful, poetic work describing the heinous psychosocial effects that colonization has on the colonized.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Colonisation, Mental illness, and Racism
Moderate: Torture, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
adamdesalle's review
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Violence
taylermae's review
reflective
slow-paced
1.5
1.5 stars for still being relevant for today and challenging the way Westerners conceptualize violence today. Not any more than that because it is largely repetitive, long-winded, and generally disorganized. Much of his proposed solutions to the colonial question are ideal, but place a lot of faith in nationalism, which has become more and more problematic since this book’s publication
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Torture
Minor: Domestic abuse
The entire last section/essay is a detailed list of case studies on survivors of torture, mass shootings, generalized violence, and more. There is even one about an officer who tortured citizens and also committed violence against his family.riverofpages's review
challenging
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Torture and War
eslsilver's review
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture and Mental illness