Frantz Fanon died yesterday 60 years ago. The Martinique-born psychiatrist and philosopher was groundbreaking in his writings, which were influenced by black thinkers such as Aimé Césaire as well as the author of Marxist, psychoanalytic or existentialist approaches. He criticized racist structures and at the same time drafted a ‘different’ decolonized humanism that was supposed to end the “subjugation of man by man once and for all”.
In addition to his work “The Damned of this Earth” Fanon also worked as an agitator for the independence of Algeria. An initially western reception due to the fame of his mentor Sartre was followed by Fanon’s influence on the Black Panther movement in the USA. The central theme of his work was the discussion about the legitimacy of violence against the inherently racist bourgeoisie of the world and France. Before the publication of the “Wretched of the World” Fanon died of his leukemia.
–
