Fanon’s Wretched of the Earth: A Marxist critique

Fanon has been used by academics as a basis for a whole series of confused and reactionary ideas about “de-colonisation of the mind”. However, “Wretched of the Earth” is a book about revolutionary struggle against colonialism, arms in hand.

In the book, Fanon issues very sharp and prescient warnings about the treacherous role of the bourgeoisie after independence, but at the same time he argues that the only revolutionary classes in colonial countries are the peasantry and the lumpen-proletariat, as opposed to the working class.

In this talk, Jorge Martin will discuss how Fanon reached these conclusions, what role he played in the Algerian revolution, and why the strategy he advocated was wrong.

Recommended reading: How French imperialism was defeated in Algeria

Further reading: The Algerian Revolt / France: the massacre of 17 October 1961 / The Colonial Revolution and the Sino-Soviet Dispute