Fanon Matters: Relevance of Frantz Fanon’S Submitted By: Carlos Javier Cordero Pedrosa Intellectual and Poltical Work for Peace Studies Directed By: Dr
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Doctoral Thesis Fanon Matters: Relevance of Frantz Fanon’s Submitted by: Carlos Javier Cordero Pedrosa Intellectual and Poltical Work for Peace Studies Directed by: Dr. Alberto Gerardo Gomes January, 2021 Doctoral Programme in International Studies in Peace, Conflict and Development Doctorate School of the Universitat Jaume I Fanon Matters: Relevance of Frantz Fanon's Intellectual and Political Work for Peace Studies A dissertation submitted by Carlos Javier Cordero Pedrosa in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor in Peace Studies at the Universitat Jaume I Doctoral student: Supervisor: Dr. Alberto Gerardo Gomes Carlos Javier Cordero Pedrosa Tutor: Dr. Ignacio Aymerich Ojea Castellón de la Plana, January 2021 Funding: This thesis was endowed with financial support to carry out an international stay within the framework of the Convocatòria d’ajudes adreçades a l’estudiantat de l’Escola de Doctorat de la Universitat Jaume I, per a la realització d’activitats formatives en el curso 2017-2018. Acknowledgments First, I would like to pay my special regards to my supervisor, Dr. Alberto Gerardo Gomes for his assistance over the years, insightful ideas and generosity of spirit. I would like to thank my tutor, Dr. Ignacio Aymerich Ojea, for his guidance and his availability. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the staff at the Doctorate School of the Universitat Jaume I, and to Adela and Sofía from the UNESCO Chair of Philosophy for Peace for their help with the administrative difficulties. I am grateful to Dr. Teresa Cunha from the Centro de Estudos Sociais of the Universidade de Coimbra for supervising my research stay, and for her comments, suggestions and words of encouragement. I would also like to thank the staff and the librarians for their kindness and availability in facilitating my stay in Coimbra. I wish to show gratitude to Dr. Alexander Horstmann for his review and his suggestions. Big thanks also to Dr. Jennifer Murphy for her careful reading of the thesis, and also for her insights and generosity since my first class in the program. Thanks to Dr. Larose Parris for her review of a previous paper. Thanks to Dr. Alejandro De Oto for his observation on elucidating some aspects of Fanon’s work. Also thanks to Marie Baumann for her help on certain French linguistic questions. I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude to my family, and especially to my parents, Carmen and Antonio, for their support, generosity and understanding, without which this could not have been possible. Thanks to my sister Elena, and to my brother-in- law, Toni. Thanks to my uncle Pedro for his interest in the thesis and for offering his help. I cannot begin to express my thanks to my wife and partner in learning, I Jin, a constant company and support at all levels in the journey we have undertaken. I would like to conclude with a word of remembrance to my grandfathers and to Professor Jang, my father-in-law. I am also thankful to the late Vicent Martínez Guzmán for opening up new venues of thought. Lastly, I would like to send from here, and to receive, a big hug from my friend the late Fernando Bielsa, Kangu. ABSTRACT This dissertation explores the work of Frantz Fanon as a philosopher, psychiatrist, playwright, social and political theorist and anticolonial revolutionary. It is submitted to an academic program focused on peace studies to make a case for the relevance of Fanon’s intellectual and political work in this field of study and its related practices. Keywords: Fanon, decolonization, racism, colonialism, peace studies ABSTRACT: La presente tesis propone una exploración de la obra de Frantz Fanon como filósofo, psiquiatra, dramaturgo, teórico político y social, y revolucionario anticolonial. Esta tesis se presenta a un programa académico en estudios de paz con la intención de argumentar la relevancia del trabajo intelectual y político de Fanon en dicha disciplina y las prácticas asociadas a ellas. Palabras clave: Fanon, decolonización, racismo, colonialismo, estudios de paz Table of Contents Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1 Aims and context ..................................................................................................... 1 Relevance ................................................................................................................. 4 Scope of the research ............................................................................................... 6 Chapter outline ......................................................................................................... 9 A note on translation .............................................................................................. 14 Introducción (versión en español) ................................................................ 16 Propósito y contexto .............................................................................................. 16 Relevancia .............................................................................................................. 19 Ámbito de investigación ........................................................................................ 21 Estructura ............................................................................................................... 24 Nota sobre la traducción ........................................................................................ 28 Chapter 1. Reading, misreading and non-readings .................................... 32 1.1 Six stages of Fanon studies .............................................................................. 34 1.1.1 Conflicts and Fanonism ............................................................................ 36 1.1.2 Fanon Today ............................................................................................. 41 1.1.3 Late arrivals to Fanon ............................................................................... 49 1.2 Fanon and Peace Studies .................................................................................. 52 1.2.1 Peace, violence, reality and perspective ................................................... 55 1.2.2 Peace, race, racism and colonialism ......................................................... 64 1.2.3 Euro-modernity and its underside ............................................................. 71 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 75 Chapter 2. The human, the subhuman and modern science ...................... 77 2.1 Anténor Firmin ................................................................................................ 80 2.1.1 Anthropos and Humanitas ........................................................................ 80 2.1.2 A science of equality and the problems of liberal freedom ...................... 87 2.1.3 Social regeneration ................................................................................... 92 2.2 W.E.B. Du Bois ............................................................................................... 95 2.2.1 The birth of American sociology .............................................................. 95 2.2.2 Du Bois and the origin of sociology ......................................................... 99 2.2.3 The Negro problem and the problem Negro ........................................... 103 2.2.4 Being a problem and double consciouness ............................................. 110 2.3 Frantz Fanon .................................................................................................. 115 2.3.1 Decolonization as first philosophy ......................................................... 115 2.3.2 Questioning methods and disciplines ..................................................... 124 2.3.3 Sociogeny ................................................................................................ 129 2.3.4 The zone of non-being. ........................................................................... 135 2.3.5 An existential ontology ........................................................................... 140 2.3.6 The lived experience: Embodiment and alienation ................................. 143 2.3.7 Temporality, alienation and Euro-modernity .......................................... 150 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 160 Chapter 3. Poetics of disalienation ............................................................. 162 3.1 Caliban and Language ................................................................................... 164 3.2 Négritude and surrealism ............................................................................... 171 3.3 Fanon: poetry and home building .................................................................. 177 3.4 Language in the flesh ..................................................................................... 180 3.5 The colonial wound ....................................................................................... 186 3.6 Method and drama ......................................................................................... 191 3.7 Drama and theory ........................................................................................... 193 Conclusion ..........................................................................................................