Fanon was a psychiatrist so his book is basically a psychoanalysis of people living under racism and colonialism. Much of it focuses on critiques of literary characters as illustrative examples. To examine it in-depth is to dissect a style of literary criticism that I've occasionally encountered and never really gotten comfortable dissecting. Also, to analyze it would be to take the ideas and accounts at something other than face value. In the year 2021 I see nothing good that can come from sitting in judgment of this book, and honestly I don't have any issues with it to the extent that I understand it.
So I'll just share one observation: In chapter 4 the part I liked best was where he said that learning more African history was essential to get over some of the neurosis and inferiority complex associated with his situation. To learn that African societies had rivaled any other societies in sophistication prior to colonialism did a lot to alleviate his problems. It made him see himself through some framework other than that of a black man in a white man's world. I suspect this will lead to the individualistic analysis apparently promised in the intro.
No comments:
Post a Comment