This blog, assigned by Megha Trivedi Ma’am, explores Frantz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth (1961) to understand his revolutionary views on colonialism, violence, and liberation, and their lasting relevance in today’s world.
A video presentation on this blog has been created by Notebook LM, which provides a concise and insightful overview of the key ideas discussed here. It is truly worth watching for a deeper understanding of Fanon’s concepts.
Unmasking Colonial Power: Violence, Manichaeism, and the Colonial Superstructure in Unmasking Colonial Power: Violence, Manichaeism, and the Colonial Superstructure in Frantz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth
About the Author
Frantz Fanon (1925–1961) was a psychiatrist, philosopher, and revolutionary writer from the French colony of Martinique. Educated in France, he later served as a psychiatrist in Algeria during its struggle for independence. His experiences of racism, violence, and dehumanization under colonial rule deeply shaped his thought. Fanon’s key works — Black Skin, White Masks (1952) and The Wretched of the Earth (1961) — explore how colonization affects the psychology of both the oppressor and the oppressed.
As one of the leading voices of anti-colonial theory, Fanon’s writings combine Marxism, psychoanalysis, and political philosophy to reveal the moral and psychological costs of colonial domination. His passionate call for decolonization, dignity, and liberation continues to inspire postcolonial thinkers and political movements across the world.
Introduction
Frantz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth (1961) stands as one of the most powerful and provocative texts in the history of anti-colonial literature. Written during the height of the Algerian War of Independence, the book exposes the psychological, political, and economic machinery of colonialism and calls for a complete overthrow of imperial power.
Fanon argues that colonialism is not simply an economic system but a total structure that reshapes human identity, values, and consciousness. He explores how violence, moral dualism (Manichaeism), and the fusion of economic and ideological control sustain the colonial order. Through these ideas, Fanon challenges not only European imperialism but also the internalized mental structures that perpetuate oppression.
This blog examines three central ideas from The Wretched of the Earth —
The role of violence in colonialism and decolonization,
The concept of Manichaeism in the colonial world, and
Fanon’s statement that “the infrastructure is also a superstructure.”
1. The Role of Violence in Colonialism
For Fanon, violence lies at the very heart of colonialism. He begins The Wretched of the Earth with the claim that “decolonization is always a violent phenomenon.” This statement captures his central argument — that since colonial rule is established and maintained through violence, liberation too must involve a violent rupture.
Colonialism is not merely an economic or political system; it is a structure of physical force, coercion, and psychological intimidation. The colonizer enforces order not through dialogue but through guns, armies, and police. The colonized live in a world where submission is the only guarantee of survival.
Fanon argues that the colonized are made to feel inferior, incapable, and dependent — their humanity is denied by the colonizer’s power. In such a situation, violence becomes not only a political necessity but also a path to self-recovery and rehumanization. When the oppressed fight back, they are not simply reacting; they are reclaiming their identity as human beings capable of action, courage, and freedom.
Key Insights on Violence
Colonialism itself is institutionalized violence. It begins with conquest and continues through repression, forced labor, and economic theft.
Violence is psychological as well as physical. It deforms the consciousness of the colonized, instilling fear and self-hatred.
Liberation requires counter-violence. The colonized must use revolutionary violence to break the cycle of fear and submission.
Violence restores dignity. Fanon calls it “a cleansing force,” because it purifies the colonized from internalized inferiority.
Violence creates a new order. True decolonization involves a total transformation of social and psychological structures.
Fanon’s analysis is not a glorification of bloodshed but an acknowledgment of historical reality. He believes that only through direct struggle can the colonized build a new, equal, and free society. Violence, for Fanon, is thus the means through which the oppressed rediscover their voice and reclaim history.
2. Manichaeism in the Colonial Context
The second key concept in The Wretched of the Earth is Manichaeism. Fanon borrows this term from an ancient religious philosophy that divided the world into two opposing forces — good and evil, light and darkness. In the colonial world, Fanon uses Manichaeism to describe how colonizers construct rigid binaries that justify domination.
In a colonial society, everything is split into two. The colonizer and the colonized do not coexist as equals; they inhabit different worlds, separated by race, class, and geography. The colonizer’s world is the zone of wealth, order, and privilege, while the colonized world is that of poverty, disorder, and exclusion.
Fanon describes this division vividly:
“The colonial world is a world divided into compartments.”
The colonizer’s city is clean, bright, and well-maintained — a symbol of supposed civilization. In contrast, the colonized quarters are dirty, overcrowded, and neglected — represented as the space of the uncivilized. This spatial segregation reflects a deeper moral and racial segregation.
Key Insights on Manichaeism
Binary opposition: Colonialism divides humanity into two opposing categories — the colonizer (superior) and the colonized (inferior).
Moral hierarchy: The colonizer claims to represent civilization, progress, and morality, while the colonized are labeled primitive, violent, and immoral.
Psychological effects: The colonized internalize this hierarchy, leading to feelings of shame, self-hatred, and alienation.
Spatial symbolism: The physical separation between rich colonial towns and poor native villages mirrors the mental and moral separation enforced by ideology.
Decolonization as reversal: Liberation means destroying this Manichaean division and building a world where humanity is no longer split by race or class.
Fanon insists that colonialism’s power depends on maintaining these oppositions. To overthrow colonialism, the colonized must first reject the colonial myths that portray them as inferior. By dismantling the Manichaean worldview, they can reclaim their right to define themselves and the world they live in.
3. “The Infrastructure is Also a Superstructure”
This third idea is one of Fanon’s most intellectually rich and complex statements. To understand it, we must recall the Marxist distinction between infrastructure (base) and superstructure. In classical Marxism:
The infrastructure (base) consists of economic relations — production, labor, and material conditions.
The superstructure includes institutions like culture, politics, religion, and ideology that arise from the base.
But Fanon challenges this separation in the colonial context. He argues that under colonialism, “the infrastructure is also a superstructure.” In other words, the economic base and the ideological structure are so closely intertwined that they cannot be separated.
Colonialism is not only about exploiting resources; it is about creating an ideological system that justifies that exploitation. The colonizer’s wealth depends on convincing both himself and the colonized that the situation is natural and moral. Therefore, the economy and ideology work together to sustain domination.
Key Insights on Fanon’s Idea
Interdependence of economics and ideology: The material exploitation of the colonized (infrastructure) is justified through racist beliefs and cultural domination (superstructure).
Colonial economy as ideology: The very existence of economic inequality becomes a symbol of racial superiority — the colonizer’s wealth proves his “civilized” status.
Internalized control: The colonized are made to believe their poverty is natural or fated, making rebellion seem impossible.
Total domination: Colonialism is not just an external force but a total system controlling both material life and mental perception.
Liberation as dual struggle: To dismantle colonialism, one must destroy not only its economic structures but also the ideologies that sustain them.
Fanon’s statement reveals the totalizing nature of colonialism — it shapes the economy, the mind, and the moral order simultaneously. In this sense, colonial domination is both physical and metaphysical, both visible and invisible.
The Relevance of Fanon’s Ideas in Today’s World
Although The Wretched of the Earth was written during the age of political decolonization, Fanon’s ideas continue to resonate in the 21st century. His insights into power, identity, and resistance help us understand how colonial structures have transformed rather than disappeared. Modern societies still reflect hierarchies that Fanon described — they now appear in global capitalism, cultural imperialism, and systemic racism.
Fanon’s theory sheds light on:
Neo-colonialism: Economic dominance by powerful nations continues through trade, loans, and globalization — what Fanon might call the “new masks” of colonial power.
Racial injustice: The psychological effects of colonialism survive in racial discrimination and stereotypes that still define modern societies.
Cultural domination: Western media and brands often promote Eurocentric ideals, echoing the Manichaean split between “advanced” and “primitive” cultures.
Resistance movements: Fanon’s call for radical change inspires decolonial education, Black Lives Matter, feminist movements, and indigenous rights struggles.
Psychological liberation: His idea that decolonization is both mental and material reminds individuals to challenge internalized inferiority and reclaim self-worth.
Fanon’s work teaches that liberation is not a completed event but an ongoing process — a continuous effort to dismantle visible and invisible forms of domination. His revolutionary humanism calls for building a world where equality is not imposed by power but arises from shared dignity.
Conclusion: Fanon’s Revolutionary Humanism
Frantz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth remains one of the most important works in anti-colonial and postcolonial thought. His analysis of violence, Manichaeism, and the unity of infrastructure and superstructure exposes how colonialism deforms the human condition — both of the colonizer and the colonized.
Fanon does not glorify violence; he sees it as an inevitable step in the process of reclaiming humanity. He reveals that colonial power rests on moral binaries and ideological manipulation that must be destroyed for true freedom to emerge. His rethinking of Marxist categories shows that colonial domination cannot be overthrown by economic reform alone — it requires a total transformation of consciousness.
Final Takeaways
Violence in colonialism is not an accident but its foundation and method.
The colonial world operates through Manichaean binaries that justify exploitation.
Colonialism fuses economic and ideological control — making “the infrastructure also a superstructure.”
Liberation demands both material revolution and psychological decolonization.
References:
Fanon, Frantz. The Wretched of the Earth. Translated by Richard Philcox, Grove Press, 2004.
No comments:
Post a Comment