2024 Spring Research Symposium

The Genealogy of Colonial Racism in the Works of Frantz Fanon

Given that Frantz Fanon is perhaps one of the most renowned theorists of colonial racism in the past century, it is surprising that there is no systematic account of how Fanon attempts to debunk the racist and imperialist ideologies of his time in his works, despite some discussions on separate parts of his writings scattered across various sources. This gap may stem from Fanon's eclectic approach to critiquing colonial racism, as he does not adhere to a singular method in his critique of colonial racism. In this project, I reconstruct how Fanon demonstrates racist and imperialist ideologies of his time as epistemically flawed and socially harmful in his classic psycho-analytic and political writings. I also explore how Fanon's less well-known scientific writings, particularly his psychiatric writings during his stay as a psychiatrist in colonial Algeria, shed light on his debunking project of colonial racism. I show that Fanon adopts a subversive genealogical approach in his psychiatric works, a perspective largely overlooked by Fanon scholars. I provide some implications of reading Fanon as a genealogist. 

PRESENTED BY
College Alumni Society Undergraduate Research Grant
College of Arts & Sciences 2024
Advised By
Daniele Lorenzini
Associate Professor of Philosophy
PRESENTED BY
College Alumni Society Undergraduate Research Grant
College of Arts & Sciences 2024
Advised By
Daniele Lorenzini
Associate Professor of Philosophy

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