‘The nature of blackness is within the mind’.
Justify with reference to Fanon’s Black Skin, White masks.
Name: Minkal Italiya
M.A English semester: 3
Roll no: 19
Batch: 2018-20
Enrollment No: 2069108420190020
Submitted to: Smt. S. B Gardi,
Department of English, MKBU
Paper no-11: The Post colonial
Literature
Topic :‘The
nature of blackness is within the mind’. Justify with reference to Fanon’s
Black Skin, White masks.
‘The nature of
blackness is within the mind’. Justify with reference to Fanon’s Black Skin,
White masks.
Introduction:
The racism becomes an important issue in post colonial
literature. There are many Africans as well as Afro American writers who tries
establish their identity through their magnificent writings. Among them Frantz
Fanon is one who raised his voice in his doctorial thesis work, against the
white culture and indeed preferably he might be raised his voice on behalf of
racial victims of Martininique.
“Black Skin, White Masks” is a book originally written
in French and published in 1952 by a Martinican psychiatrist and black, post
colonial thinker Frantz Fanon. The book started out at his doctoral thesis,
initially he intended his seminal work Black Skin, White Masks as the final
year dissertation for his medical degree at the University of Lyons. Having
been born and raised in Martinique, in his work Black Skin, White Masks he
depicts about psychological suffering of people of Martinique due to their
black skin. Especially books tries to explore what goes on the mind of black
people under the conditions of white rule as well as showcases the situation of
Martinique and France in early 1950s. While living among a white hegemonic society
and being dominated by the prevalent socio cultural practises of them, indeed
it became difficult for them to develop a meaningful understanding of their
self. It seems that Frantz Fanon is more interested in the experience of Black
people from French colonized islands in the Caribbean, who have to come in
France themselves, like himself. In his work he explores how these people are
encouraged by hegemonic white culture to be a white and ultimately it turns
into serious psychological problems
because they are not able to do so.
By showcasing the conflict between Christian and Jews,
Fanon hopes that his work will be a mirror through which black people can find
the path of desalination.
In the era of racism especially in early 1950s, there would be a difference between what man wants and what black man wants. The tag of being negro or black did always stuck with African people. He is a man but preferably he is a black man. There was always distinction between white cultural and black culture. Indeed black people used to see white culture as a superior rather it seemed ok to say they were forced to see white culture as superior. By centring this issue, delineation between white and black culture, Frantz Fanon in his seven chapters argues about the suffering of black people due to white hegemonic culture.
“Black Skin, White
Masks” is mainly divided into eight chapters as below mentioned.
1.
The
Black Man and Language
2.
The
Woman of Colour and the White Man
3.
The
Man of Colour and the White Woman
4.
The
So-Called Dependency Complex of the Colonized
5.
The
Lived Experience of the Black Man
6.
The
Black Man and Psychopathology
7.
The
Black Man and Recognition
8.
By
Way of Conclusion
1.The Black Man
and Language
In post colonial study the importance of language
served as a most important theme as it is an important tool for colonial
expression in post colonial era. In this chapter Frantz Fanon explores that
language is not merely a tool for people to express themselves, rather it is
more associated with one’s own identity. From his experience he points out
that, in Martinique most of people came either from France or they were well
educated in French language. They used to speak in perfect French. But what
about the black people? Black people of Martinique spoke Creole language, but
when they go to France they stopped speaking Creole. The middle class except to
servants not tries to speak Creole
language at all. As a result they found Creole as a wanting and a French
as superior or better. Even when native Black people came back from France
after receiving French education, they spoke painfully perfect French and as if
they no longer knew what Creole language was? It seemed as they own the identity of
colonizer.
“Antilleans become whiter through their absorption
into the French language”
Under such circumstances students from Martinique made
it a point to speak perfect French than even racism did not stop. They were
considered them as a black man who handles the French language unlike any white
man today. In this way language is used to regenerate a sense of inferiority
among black people as well as they have been told that they are inferior and as
a result inferiority complex arises. To escape from this complex they want to
be “superior” by becoming white or in a such way they have washed their mind in
their universe of racist ideas.
2.The Woman of Colour and the White Man and
3.
The Man of Colour and the White Woman
In this chapter by taking examples of three women:
Mayotte, Didi and Nini, Frantz Fanon explores that how such an inferiority
complex instilled in black people by colonialism and how racism did not allow
them to be in a healthy relationship. White women wanted to marry white men not
out of love rather in order to deal with their own hang-ups about race. Mayotte
knows that she is seen as inferior by white man yet even she wants to marry
white man this showcases that she sees a white culture as a superior or more
powerful. Here Fanon argues that she knows that she never truly be accepted by
any white man but the psychological forces of racism have infiltrated her
subconscious and as a result she desires something which she knows to be
irrational. Similarly , Black man desires for white woman to get into a white
culture. Because marrying a white woman insist a feeling of having married all
whiteness, education and wealth which stand as a superior marker in racist
society. This belief leads them towards a sense of loss as well. In such way
Fanon pointed out that how the how the lie about superiority of white is
created by racist society and how it creates an ethical dilemma.
4.The So-Called
Dependency Complex of the Colonized
In this chapter Frantz Fanon argues against Octave
Mannoni’s (The Psychology of Colonization) view that people of colour have deep
desire for white rule and those who oppose it do not have a secure sense of
self, that they have a chip on their shoulder. Frantz Fanon’s critique of
Mannoni’s points may seem obvious also, there is no denying. For instance, that
black South Africans experience racist persecution even
though they are clearly the majority population. Many ideas which fanon’s
criticized, seems also powerful in the present day also. As many people in the West cling to the
belief that Western culture overall is not responsible for colonial racism.
While arguing on this an important factor for Fanon is subjectivity. The
subjective experience of racism is important, as he strongly believes that
racism can’t be actually understood without experiencing it. Subsequently he
argues about it and Manoni’s subjectivity ends up with the Fanon’s subjective experience of racism. In such way
Fanon strongly objects Manoni’s idea that inferiority complex of the colonization
existed before colonization.
5.The Lived
Experience of the Black Man
In this chapter Fanon speaks about black Man who never
considered by other as a fully human. Living in the white world the skin colour
becomes everything. Frantz Fanon himself stated that, he is seen as Dr Fanon
but as black man who is doctor. White
people never see Negro man, they only see Negro man’s body. Instead of being a
person or an individual, his identity remained as a negro, a black, nothing
more than an object who is valued only in relation with whites. From his experience he stated
that, once a woman comments
“how handsome that Negro is”
It is too much exoticizing and fetishizing Fanon
marking him out as different, strange and inhuman.
Fanon brings out the intense isolation of black people
caused by racism.
Here the important aspect for Fanon is to realise that
inferiority complex do not naturally instil in Black people’s mind rather this
is created by racism which firmly believes that white are superior to blacks
which gives more economical advantages as well. Black people are frequently
reminded by white society as they are black first and human second. As a result
black people internalize their oppression as a personal failure and this is the
moment when inferiority complex arise within their mind. Ultimately it might
also be lead them to believe that they did not have any existence at all. Fanon
also refers to this in his work,
Fanon:
A feeling of inferiority? No, a feeling of not
existing. Sin is black as virtue is white. All those white men, fingering their
guns, can’t be wrong. I am guilty. I don’t know what of, but I know I’m a
wretch.
6.The Black Man
and Psychopathology
In this chapter Fanon provides information about the
cultural representation of Black people
in European societies as well as on how
racism and colonialism affect the psychology of Black people. White
hegemonic society presents a black people in such a way that which make them to
feel as they have an animalistic identity. In comparison to white society,
black men are seen as being a way less moral. The depiction of black people is
mainly associated with “biological” symbol, in a way they are seen as human
without feelings or emotions which serves only as a body. This stereotype leads
them towards over sexualisation of black
people as the idea of blackness is some how associated with the biological fact
of reproduction. As a consequence blacks are seen as morally dark, as sinful and
evil. As if black were born with original sin but whites were born pure. Along
with it European society is full of images of aggressiveness of Black men, from
whom white women are said to need protection. This is a way in which blackness
of skin colour is depicted as an “evil Other”. Because of this stereotypes
towards blackness inferiority complex might be come in their mind and they
started to feel shame on their own identity of being a negro. Fanon himself
mentioned that in Martinique where Fanon grew up where nearly everyone was
black, his mother would tell him to
“Stop acting like a nigger”
Because of
superiority of white culture they felt shameless in being what actual they
were. This inferiority complex came into them from the colour black being seen
as evil, bad, dark and dirty and colour white as pure, innocent and clean. He
also compares negro racism with Jewish racism. Fanon also draws upon the work
of Jean Paul Sartre in which he explores how European society turns the Jew
into an others in a way it parallels Fanno’s exploration of how it turns black
into an other.
7.The Black Man and Recognition and
8.By Way of
Conclusion
In this final chapters Frantz Fanon explores how
different styles of white rule shaped black people in America and Martinique.
In 7th chapter he used a technical term recognition and explored it
through the work of two greatest thinkers; Alfred Adler: a psychotherapist, and
George Hegel: philosopher. They both known for their “dialectical method” in
which two things which are contradictory are brought into relation. A notion of identity always comes by being
recognized by the Other. As Fanon mentioned in previous chapter black people
did not think of themselves as a Black until confronted by a white Other which
imposed a racial distinction. However black people compare themselves to white
people and from this kind of comparison problems of inferiority and pathology
started to take place. The inferiority complex arises when ones wants to be
something which actually he/she isn’t. Furthermore he dismisses theories by
other psychiatrists that would solve the neurosis of an individual Black man by
asking him to adjust his expectations and face reality. Instead he demands for
social solutions which transform the racist society that produced conditions of
inequality to begin with. He put more emphasises on that black people need to
be encouraged to transform society by demanding humanity from white people and
creating a future free from the subjugation of past.
Works Cited
Gradesaver. Black skin white masks summary.
<https://www.gradesaver.com/black-skin-white-masks/study-guide/summary>.
Litcharts. Black
skin white masks. <https://www.litcharts.com/lit/black-skin-white-masks/summary>.
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