The Wretched of the Earth

I pulled the title of my review from page 130, which states, "This lumpenproletariat is like a horde of rats; you may kick them and throw stones at them, but despite your best efforts they'll go on gnawing at the roots of the tree." One of my favorite lines of many from Fanon that still, and perhaps now more than ever, resonate in the magazines, newspapers and op-ed pages of the West today.

"The Wretched of the Earth," along with Dubois' "The Souls of Black Folk," was a book I found repeatedly mentioned both in the "Autobiography of Malcolm X" as well as the writings of Black Panther leaders Huey Newton, Bobby Seale and Eldridge Cleaver. I couldn't quite understand some of the ideas of these great black activists until I read Fanon's "Wretched." Now I see that they took many of Fanon's observations and revolutionary theories and applied them to the plight of the African-American of the 1960s. For example, when the Panthers would decry the police as "fascist, gestapo pigs," and demand their withdrawal, they sounded much like Fanon, who writes,"In these poor undeveloped countries (or the slums of Oakland, Chicago, New York), where the rule is the greatest wealth is surrounded by the greatest poverty (the horde of rats), the army and the police constitute the pillars of the regime; an army and a police force(another rule which must not be forgotten) which are advised by foreign experts." This is one example of many of Fanon influence of these men. In the Congo dissidents or opponents had their hands cut off. In Guinea they had their lips pierced and padlocked shut. In Oakland the Panthers were confronted with billyclubs, bullets or bars, and again, they drew the analogy. "Colonialism only loosens its hold when the knife is at its throat...it is violence in its natural state, and it will only yield when confronted with greater violence." The Panthers, who viewed themselves enduring 500 years of colonization, took up arms.

"Individualism is the first to disappear," a line seen early on in the work that was echoed by Che Guevara in his heyday, key to coming together collectively, the only means of having a chance at throwing out the imperialists. I don't know which is more beneficial, to read works like the biography of Che, some of the Panthers' biographies, and then Fanon's "Wretched of the Earth," or vice-versa. Regardless, "The Wretched of the Earth" is the Machiavelli of revolutionary theory. I am still, unfortunately, not very versed in African politics and revolutionary movements. However, switching to Latin America, reading the "Wretched of the Earth" feels like being in the hills of Cuba with Fidel. It's practically a play-by-play, giving one greater appreciation for the struggle and the sacrifice.

Particularly impressive if Fanon's analysis of the developed versus the underdeveloped world, and the former's contempt for and repression of the latter as the underdeveloped world tries to climb out of their hole, moreso he himself being not a native African, but a Frenchman, knowing both sides equally well. It seems as though there is never any alternative, on the subject of revolutions, to colonialism or communism. Either business continues as usual (colonialism), or nationalist governments are hit with labels such as "upstart," in that time becoming part of the great international conspiracy, in our time anti-capitalist. Fanon is right on when he cites the colonialists as saying,"If you wish for independence, take it and go back to the Middle Ages...since you want independence, take it and starve." The application doesn't end with the '60s but continues on in our day, when the world's major financial players are offering assistance only in exhange for the right to "exploit."

There is so much more to be said for this book. Admittedly this is a poor review, unworthy of Fanon's brilliant presentation of how to revolt and succeed doing so. Just read the book, read some of the others on who Fanon had such an impact, and make your own application.

I read this book after finding it on the Rage Against the Machine reading list, and continue to find new depth and relevancy to it even after 5 readings. Fanon exposes the necessity of violence in opposing the colonialist regime and the pitfalls and atrocities of forcing the Western way of life on other people. A must read for those wishing to understand the psychology of the oppressed, not only in other parts of the world, but here in Amerika.
ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE

Frantz Fanon dropped a gem when he wrote this book. It deals specifically with what he saw while living in Africa, a case of the native and the colonizer. He discusses the issue of violence, the culture of the native, psychological effects (with actual cases he saw while working in an Algerian hospital), and national consciousness. Even though it's specifically about the native and the colonizer, it can be used for something very small in comparison, such as a kid being bullied in a classroom. The root of it is the oppressor and the oppressed. Fanon greatly stresses the importance and normalcy of self-defense, and the importance of organizing and thinking behind it. This is definitely an attack on the "turn the other cheek" method. If you are interested or believe in self-defense towards oppressors, this is definitely a necessity for the subject

Reading this amazing book in 2001, the first fact that blew my mind was how relevant this book is in today's world, even though it was written in 1961.
This book is an attempt at understanding the processes of decolonialization, and offering a constructive way to make this process successful and meaningful. Seemingly, it has only historic value in today's decolonized world. But as I read the book, from its beginning to its end, I could not help finding parallels to many current world issues. Wherever there is a situation of oppressed groups trying to put an end to their oppression - the words of Fanon are relevant and enlightening.

Fanon helped me understand the attitudes of the oppressed (found today mainly in Africa and Asia), and the pitfalls of the national liberation struggles. Reading this book explained why so many countries replaced colonialism with corrupt dictatorships.

This book shows that Fanon is one of the sharpest and most truthful intelectuals of the 20th century.

I know I did not manage to convey the full impact this book had on me. The impact may become clear when I say that this book must be translated to every language, taught in every high school system, and discussed at every academic and political level.

Fannon's Wretched of the Earth is an interesting look at the relationship between a colonized country and it's colonizer. He also discusses the inevitablity of the overthrowing of the colonizing government by the people it rules. He states that this uprising must inevitabley be violent, For while the colonist is profiting from it's oppression of the colony, it will not willingly give the ruled country up. Fannon approaches his subject matter from a neo-marxist perspective. That is to say, the colonizer (in this case France) holds all of the means of production, and seeks to maintain it's power over the Colonized (in this case the Algierians). However, according to Fannon, the Algierians will eventually become aware (or, since this was written some time ago, did become aware) of their oppression, and will rise up against their oppressors.
Fannon also discusses the difficulties, and inherent problems in replacing the deposed government. He discusses the struggle for power that follows (different groups scrambling to gain the means of production). He also, describes the proper course that the country should take in order to rule itself properly. In doing this, Fannon seems to have a fairly realistic view of government struggle. He points out that the transition is going to be difficult. But he has high hopes for Algieria taking it's place on the world stage.
It's also interesting that Fannon is writing for Algierians. This isn't some manifesto aimed at France, or Europe in general (although he does criticize Europe). So, perhaps this book might be looked at as a handbook for many of the countries that threw off the shackles of colonialism around this time (perhaps even today). So,in some sense, it might be looked at as an attempt at Praxis.

The latter portion of the book consists of a series of case studies concerning the effects that the end of Colonialism had on the people within the country (both French and Algierian people). Basically, this section is an example of the human reaction to the atrocities commited both by the colonial regime, and by the revolutionaries.
In all, I would recomend this to anyone interested in seeing Marx's ideas in a more contemporary context. I'd also recomend this to anyone with an interest in revolution and political violence.