FANON FOR BEGINNERS
By Deborah Wyrick, Ph.D.
Illustrations By Van Howell
Foreword by Harold Augenbraum
ISBN-13: 978-1-934389-87-4
Price: US $15.95
6x9, 184 pp
eBook ISBN: 978-1-934389-88-1
eBook Price: US $15.95
September 9, 2014
B/W Illustrations
Philosopher, psychoanalyst, politician, propagandist, prophet...although difficult to categorize, Frantz Fanon (1925 1961) is one of the most important thinkers of the 20th century and one of our most powerful writers on race and revolution.
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The book opens with a biography, following Fanon from his birthplace of Martinique through combat in World War II and education in France, to his heroic involvement in the fights for Algerian independence and African decolonization. After a brief discussion of Fanon's political and cultural influences, the main section of the book covers the three principal stages of Fanon's thought:
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• The Search for Black Identity, as presented in Black Skin, White Masks, the stunning diagnosis of racism that Fanon wrote while he was studying medicine and psychoanalysis;
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• The Struggle Against Colonialism, as explained in A Dying Colonialism and Toward the African Revolution, essays Fanon produced when he was actively engaged in Algeria’s war of independence;
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• The Process of Decolonization, as analyzed in The Wretched of the Earth, the book that extended insights gained in Algeria to Africa and the Third World.
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During his short lifetime, Fanon accomplished a great deal, including writing books that have sold millions of copies throughout the world and continue to have a profound impact on contemporary cultural debate. Fanon For Beginners concludes by examining Fanon’s influence on political practice, such as the Black Power Movement in the United States, on literary theory, and on political studies.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR/ ILLUSTRATOR
Dr. Deborah Baker Wyrick received her Ph.D. in English from Duke University in English, her M.A. from North Carolina State University, and her B.A. in Art History from Duke University. Dr. Wyrick currently resides in Cary, North Carolina where she is the Senior Writer & Editor at Yellow House Design. She is retired from her position as a Professor of English at North Carolina State University.
ORGANIZATIONS & WEBSITES
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Frantz Fanon and the Arab Uprisings:
An Interview with Nigel Gibson
"In this interview with Nigel Gibson, one of the most prominent experts on Fanon’s work, he explains the significance of the Fanonian theoretical framework and its relevance for the Arab uprisings."
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Prison Radio -
Fanon: Revolutionary
A one minute radio segement on Fanon from Prison Radio. Prison Radio is "an independent multi media production studio. Prison Radio's mission is to challenge unjust police and prosecutorial practices which result in mass incarceration, racism and gender discrimination.
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"FRANTZ FANON AND THE "LUMPENPROLETARIAT"
A scholarly article on Frantz Fanon from the Social Register. "Each volume is focused on a topical theme and characterized by the inclusion of relatively long, sustained analyses which cut across intellectual disciplines and geographical boundaries."
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Reciprocal Bases of National Culture and the Fight for Freedom
Speech by Frantz Fanon at the Congress of Black African Writers, 1959
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
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DID YOU KNOW?​
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The following "Did You Know" facts are taken from Encyclopedia.com
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• Fanon’s teachers emphasized that Martinique was part of France and that he should consider himself a Frenchman.
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• Fanon was awarded the Croix de Guerre, the French equivalent of the Purple Heart, for bravery during his service in the Free French forces.
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• Fanon served as the head of a government psychiatric hospital in the Algerian town of Blida, a suburb of the capital of Algiers.
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• Fanon secretly helped the rebel Front de la Liberation Nationale or FLN, despite the fact that he received death threats from the French and their sympathizers.
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• In 1957, the French colonial government exiled Fanon to newly independent Tunisia.
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• Fanon undertook a 1,200-mile intelligence-gathering trip from Mali to the Algerian border in 1960, reporting back to his comrades-in-arms on French troop deployments.
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• Fanon’s book, The Wretched of the Earth, was not typed or written, but recorded on tape.
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YOUTUBE VIDEOS
Fanon & Violence: Lewis Gordon from Histories of Violence
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Introduction to Frantz Fanon
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* If any of the videos do not work or have been removed, please notify us via email at info@forbeginnersbooks.com.
Thank you and enjoy!