Frantz Fanon: anti-colonialism in 1960s Africa and lessons for the struggle today

Frantz Fanon: anti-colonialism in 1960s Africa and lessons for the struggle today
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2 PM EST

Toronto East International Socialists presents an online study group on Frantz Fanon: anti-colonialism in 1960s Africa and lessons for the struggle today

Franz Fanon, born in 1925 in the French Caribbean colony of Martinique to a middle class family. After studying in Lyon he eventually qualified as a psychiatrist in 1951.

In 1952, his book Black Skin, White Masks was published, an analysis of the negative psychological effects of racism and colonialism on Black people and the necessity to actively resist oppression.

In 1953 he moved to Algeria to work at a psychiatric hospital.

In November of 1954, the Algerian revolution erupted and Fanon joined the Front de Liberation Nationale (FLN). In 1956 he resigned from the hospital and committed full time to the liberation struggle. Expelled from Algeria in 1957, he spent the rest of his life fighting for a pan-African future.

Diagnosed with leukemia in 1959, he spent his last months in 1961 dictating his book The Wretched of the Earth, an analysis of the anti-colonial struggle, published in 1962 after his death. He Insisted on the right to resist colonial violence through armed struggle, influencing anti-colonial resistance throughout the world, including the Black Panthers and the Palestinian liberation movement.

Join us for a discussion of his ideas and legacy introduced by Ali Awali, who is a member of the Toronto East branch of the International Socialists.

Suggested Reading:
Why Frantz Fanon's call to rise against racism still resonates today, (Socialist Worker - UK, 2016)

Champion of the Wretched, Leo Zeilig, 2011, political biography of Frantz Fanon on the 50th anniversary of his death (Socialist Review)

Additional Reading:
Pitfalls and Radical Mutations: Frantz Fanon's revolutionary, Leo Zeilig, 2012, in depth article on the legacy of Fanon's ideas (International Socialism Journal)

The Wretched of the Earth, Franz Fanon, 1961, full text online

Black Skin, White Masks, Franz Fanon, 1952, full text online

Full Zoom details:
Topic: Frantz Fanon: anti-colonialism in 1960s Africa and lessons for the struggle today
Time: Nov 15, 2020 02:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83106863792...
Meeting ID: 831 0686 3792
Passcode: 783977