Fanon Threads Colonizers and The Colonized Responses

Morgan Woodbridge Fanon Questions Questions Fanon writes that because the “colonist […literally] fabricated […] the colonized subject”, then “Decolonization is truly the creation of new men.” • First, explain one of the features of the “world divided in two” created by colonization. One of the features of the “world divided into two” created by colonization is that there is a deep divide between the oppressed and the oppressors. Fanon describes the oppressed as the “natives” and the oppressors are the “settlers” who use force in order to dominate. Fanon even says that “the zone where the natives live is not complementary to the zone inhabited by the settlers. The two zones are opposed.”. This statement highlights this segregation between the settlers and the natives. Fanon further discusses this divide in terms of the differences between the settlers and the natives such as the differences in how their towns are built, the differences in their races, and the differences in their behavior. It is made evident that colonization resulted in a great divide between the settlers and the natives, one that left the natives disadvantaged, oppressed, and exploited. • Second, explain one of Fanon’s reasons for writing that “the last can be first only after a murderous and decisive confrontation between the two protagonists [colonizer and colonized].” One of Fanon’s reasons for writing that “the last can be first only after a murderous and decisive confrontation between the two protagonists [colonizer and colonized]” is that the only way for the natives or those being oppressed to completely oust colonization is to use all means necessary. Fanon directly states that violence is one of those means that may be necessary for the natives to “turn the scale” and eliminate colonization and settlers. Fanon believes that the only way to truly decolonize is to use all means possible and as a result, Fanon advocates for violence as a natural and necessary approach to achieve decolonization. • Third, explain one of Fanon’s views on nonviolence. Fanon sees nonviolence as something that can be inherently problematic. Fanon states that “the believers in nonviolence [say] that they are neither executioners nor victims. Very well then; if you’re not victims when the government which you’ve voted for, when the army in which your younger brothers are serving without hesitation or remorse have undertaken race murder, you are, without a shadow of doubt, executioners”. This statement encapsulates how Fanon views nonviolence and shows why it can be controversial. According to Fanon, nonviolence is a form of passiveness because exercising nonviolence can result in people witnessing injustice or crime and not doing anything to stop it. Fanon believes the resistance that nonviolence believers have towards taking action against injustice makes them just as guilty as those committing it. • Fourth, explain one of the things that Fanon wrote about “the need for a redistribution of wealth.” One of the things that Fanon wrote about in terms of “the need for a redistribution of wealth” is how decolonized countries are affected by wealth inequality. Fanon discusses how many states are forced to make a choice between independence or poverty when deciding to decolonize. The problem is that colonial powers exploit states to the point where gaining independence can be something more harmful than beneficial. The reason for this is because colonial states will often leave their once-colonized nations in a position of economic regression where they face many economic struggles. As a result, many states/nations have to decide whether gaining their independence is worth the risk of these extreme financial hardships. According to Fanon, the colonial powers approach to the oppressed desire for independence is “since you want independence, take it and starve”. This is where the need for redistribution of wealth comes in. Fannon discusses the need for post-colonial states to be treated more equally and given the economic opportunities and resources that the colonial powers stolen from them. Due to the exploitative nature of colonial powers, many post-colonial states are cheated out of their resources and their potential capital putting them in a situation of economic hardship once the colonial power leaves. According to Fanon, the redistribution of wealth would allow postcolonial states to ease away from financial dependency on the colonial powers and provide the world with an answer on how these countries can survive decolonization. • Fifth, argue for or against your answer to the second, third, or fourth part of this question — is Fanon correct or incorrect, and why or why not? I will respond to Fanon’s idea about nonviolence in the third question. I think Fanon proposes an interesting perspective on nonviolence. Fanon is critical of nonviolence because of its potential for inaction especially in the face of justice. However, the point of nonviolence is to take action in a nonviolent manner. The usage of nonviolence can have many significant impacts on issues and injustice. Throughout history, we have seen many nonviolent movements that have had clear impacts on injustice. For example, during the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr. started a nonviolent movement in order to oppose the injustice that people of color were facing in America. During this movement, we saw hundreds of thousands of people be nonviolent but also make a huge impact. Nonviolence, if utilized in the right ways, has the potential to make just as big of an impact as those who utilize violence would. Beyond the Civil Rights Movement, there have been hundreds of other movements throughout the world in which nonviolence was used to make great change. As a result, I do not think Fanon is correct in his argument about nonviolence. Fanon Applications Applications • First, identify a contemporary social or political event that you will apply Fanon’s theory to — you may reuse an event you discussed earlier in the course if you would like. The contemporary social/political event that I will apply Fanon’s theory to is the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States. The movement was designed to end systemic racism against people of color in the United States and to stop the violence occurring at the hands of the police towards people of color. • Second, explain this event from the point of view of Fanon’s theory of a “world divided in two.” Fannon’s theory about a “world divided in two” is very applicable to the Black Lives Matter movement. Firstly, we see a great divide between people in terms of the oppressor (the police) and the oppressed (people of color). This divide is characterized by the great injustices and oppression that people of color face at the hands of the police. In Fanon’s explanation of the theory, there was a great divide between the oppressors (the settlers) and the oppressed (the natives). In addition, the oppressed in Fanon’s example of the colonial world faced extreme injustices just like the oppressed in the Black Lives Matter Movement. This divide between the oppressed and the oppressors highlights the differences between the two groups. In the Black Lives Matter Movement, the oppressor is largely characterized by white police officers while the oppressed are largely characterized by young people of color. In Fanon’s example, the oppressor was white settlers while the oppressed were native people of color. Both the Black Lives Matter movement and the Colonial world are representative of a great divide into two sides, and this divide is characterized by differences in race and differences in power. • Third, hypothesize why Fanon might say that nonviolence is the wrong response to this event. Fanon may argue that nonviolence is the wrong response to this event because it will not do anything to stop the violence against people of color. In addition, Fanon would argue that the adoption of nonviolence would result in people passively witnessing grave injustices. According to Fanon, those who utilize nonviolence during a time of injustice would be just as guilty as those committing the violence. In terms of the Black Lives Matter movement, I think Fanon would argue that adopting nonviolence would result in many people standing by and witnessing these crimes being done to people of color without actually taking action against it. As a result, Fanon has this idea that violence may be a necessary tool in order to take real action or make real change. • Fourth, hypothesize what role, if any, Fanon might see for a redistribution of wealth in response to this event. If Fanon were to see the Black Lives Matter movement he would most definitely call for a redistribution of wealth. Similarly to how the natives in colonial times were exploited and left disadvantaged in economics, the same has been done to people of color in America for generations. American society has deprived people of color their right to education, healthcare, economic opportunities, housing, and much more. The settlers did similar things to the natives when they forced them to assimilate to settler culture, exploited their resources and land, and deprived them of economic opportunities. As a result, both the natives and people of color are in situations that they should not be because of the exploitation and oppression they have faced. Much of what the Black Lives Matter movement is about is to eliminate this systemic racism and oppression that people of color face so they can have equal opportunities and rights. A big part of the injustice that people of color face is due to unequal wealth distribution in the United States. As a result, if wealth redistribution were to occur, it would provide people of color the economic resources to be able to get equal opportunities in education, economics, healthcare, etc… Under Fanon’s ideas, wealth redistribution would help people of color substantially as it would help the natives. • Fifth, argue for or against Fanon’s “answer” in either the third or the fourth part of this question — is Fanon’s position correct or incorrect, and why or why not? Fanon’s answer to the third question is not correct because it does not take into account the impact that nonviolence can have. As seen in many past movements, specifically the Civil Rights Movement which also addressed racism and oppression against people of color, nonviolence can result in great change. Nonviolent tactics such as peaceful protests, sit-ins, and marches have the power to change inequality in our world. The Black Lives Matter movement is a movement, although sparked by violence against people of color, that does not require the usage of violence. A great overhaul of the system which is what Fanon stated as what was needed to decolonize, is also what is needed in the US in terms of the Black Lives Matter movement. Although Fanon argued that this overhaul of the system may not be possible without violence, today, with the Black Lives Matter movement, it is possible. The power of nonviolence can be seen in the media, in the polls, in politics, and the movement only continues to grow. Although there is so much more to do, the Black Lives Matter movement has used nonviolence and has thus resulted in more change to the system than we have seen in years. …