THE REVERSAL OF FANON IMPERIALISM: DOMESTIC J. WOLFE HARRIS

colonies, he was the asserted, “transfer of wealth the from periphery dichotomy. The result of capitalist subjugation and exploitation of in 1967, outlined the fundamental of aspect the metropolis/periphery with Paul Sweezy, the Dialectics who, of during Liberation conference colonialism’s effects. In ordersynthesize to these effects, let usbegin the structure of colonialism; rather, histheories merely described within the colonial powers. conception of domestic bythe reversal imperialism of thisdichotomy metropolis/periphery dichotomy and to expand on Huey P.Newton’s exploited bythe periphery. The aimof thisessay isto explicate Fanon’s capital production and refinement subjugated rawmaterials—is andof the metropolis, but rather the metropolis—while still being the siteof this dichotomy: no longer isthe periphery subjugated and exploited by powers themselves. the Within colonial powers, we seethe reversal of Fanon did, he to look failed outward; he to examine failed the colonial however, isonly accurate withinthe colony: for allthe theorizing and the metropolis into which thiscapital issiphoned. dichotomy, This between, and the roles of, the periphery which from capital isexacted, this theory isthe metropolis/periphery dichotomy: the relationship sought to create anall-encompassing theory of colonialism. Within descriptions of the psychological status of colonized subjects, Fanon theoretical of these movements. integrity More accurate giving than 1960s, isundeniable, and hisworks remains foundational for the on the Black Liberation movements, which the emerged early during X, Stokely Carmichael, and Huey P.Newton, Frantz Fanon’s influence ABSTRACT I. METROPOLIS/PERIPHERYI. DICHOTOMY INTRODUCTION colonial power. the colonial power; and third, the modified role withintheof prisons police and the differences between the colonial police and the police within between, and the roles of, the metropolis and periphery; second, the role of thisreversalwill analyze inthree ways: first, the reversal of the relationship Carmichael, among others, show itsreversal withinthe colonial power. I dichotomy, of Huey then, P.Newton the using writings and Stokely a key element of Fanon’s theoretical framework, the metropolis/periphery beenitself left largely has to the wayside.The aim of thispaper is to explicate colonized subject’s therein, mentality but of ananalysis the colonial power Frantz Fanon’s works have been invaluable inthe of analysis colonies and the Fanon, despite hisprolific did not writing, ever explicitly outline Mentioned of Davis, Angela across byname Malcolm the writings 65 Domestic Imperialism 66 Stance Volume 12 / April 2019 4 3 2 1 satellite basis.” inthesociety periphery and [reorganization of] iton adependent to the metropolis and correspondingly [the destruction of] the old agreements.” sought the “protection of their ‘legitimate interests’ economic using unviable model of slavery, the foreign capitalists and colonial powers goods they produce themselves. Therefore, instead of the economically of capital accumulation, wherein the colony becomes amarket for the subject. concern This for interests, however, comes only after a phase itsexploitationframes aconcern as for the interests of the colonized power, of the foreign bourgeoisie. colony awhole, as therefore, was, the economic of the colonial reality periphery would The economic starve. of the periphery, reality and the to purchase the withinthe goodsmade colonial metropolis—the and to extent, alarger without the colonial power’s willingness to refine which therawmaterials fromwere the periphery—extracted periphery on the of basis dependency. Without the metropolis’s ability rather,imperialism; Sweezy as itreorganized, said, the structure of the wealth and resources the from periphery, one as might do inthe of case productive and repressive force, the metropolis did not merely extract in apurely repressive sense, itwould Utilizing power fail. both as a fundamental of aspect the dichotomy the that other follow. aspects wealth the that metropolis was able to so rapidly develop. this Itisfrom cent of itsgross national product.” 70 per cent of America’s Latin sources and 50per of raw materials, economies. The result was after that fifteen years, “the US controlled States’ conversion of various American Latin countries into one-crop fostered inafew ways, but perhaps the most notable was the United upon the colonial power to buy their products. dependency This was independence, the national bourgeoisie are still entirely dependent such away bythe foreign bourgeoisie despite that, seeming economic the economica number isconstituted or of farms, factories reality in hereafter justified. periphery dichotomy. isthe This foundation upon which subjugation is “legitimate interests”has inthe continued existence of the metropolis/ consequent formation of the colony amarket, as the colonial subject and withthe of phase capital accumulation withinthe colony and the John Gerasis,“Imperialism andRevolutioninAmerica,” inTheDialecticsof Fanon, Grove Press, 2004), 122. Frantz Fanon,Wretched oftheEarth , trans.Richard Philcox(NewYork: ed. DavidCooper(NewYork: Verso, 2015),99. Paul Sweezy, “TheFuture ofCapitalism,”inTheDialecticsLiberation, If the role of the metropolis was simply oppression of the periphery, While the national bourgeoisie may come to hold ownership over Wretched oftheEarth,27. 3 Since the colony adependent isstructured as satellite, 1 Inaddition itisalso to only this, due to thistransfer of 2 4 Moreover, the colonial power Moreover, economic aid, such as metropolis, issiphoned. Carmichael writes, is the funnel into which the from capital, extracted inhabitants of the contrast, the periphery, rather the of than target economic exploitation, capital—and simultaneously the sections largest has of To poverty. to produce capacity and reproduce the is, city’s capital-capacity—that of police—and more specifically the new role of the prisons. existence of the metropolis/periphery dichotomy and the modified role presentas inthe colony and inthose who contribute to the continued the kind of exploitation and oppression which Ihave already explicated exploitation which acolonized Iwillbeconsidering as effect is precisely left—and further solidifies the metropolis/periphery dichotomy. power control—even maintains once alltheir soldiers and bourgeoisie have by the colonial power are the fundamental means bywhich the colonial subjugation of the colonies themselves to these same interests tampering via to continue to function such. as inorder and goods, buying manufactured factories for the metropolis loans, are only given to the colonies for the purpose the of maintaining been colonized, ifyou view exploitation acolonized as effect.” [throughof which] imperialism… the whole American people have is to bebroadlyimperialism understood “animperialistic as variation yearstwo prior, which makes the reversal possible. Domestic Stokely Carmichael’s speech at the Dialectics of Liberation conference is mentionedimperialism only once, but itisthisconcept, along with In allof Huey the concept P.Newton’s of writings, domestic functions and means of maintenance Ihave just explicated, isreversed. Fanon’s metropolis/peripherycity, dichotomy, whose fundamental guaranteed bytheir economic ties to those interests.” the enemy, and, furthermore, their to foreign loyalty capital “could be consisting of the colonized themselves ismuch harder to identify as more identified easily and attacked bythe colonized, apolice force conceptualized the colonial police: unlike American soldiers, who are 7 6 5 II. DOMESTIC IMPERIALISM Press, 2002), 152. Reader, ed.DavidHilliard andDonaldWeise (NewYork: SevenStories Huey P. Newton,“OnthePeaceMovement,”inTheHueyP. Newton Gerasis, “ImperialismandRevolution,” 79. Fanon, Liberation, ed.DavidCooper(NewYork: Verso, 2015),80. the Third World while the white middleclasseswill fleetothe suburbs.Now The Americancity, in essence,isgoingtobepopulatedby the peoplesof The metropolis inAmerica is the placewhich the largest has The local police, inthe pockets of foreign economic interests, and the Within theWithin colonial power, however, and specifically ineachmajor Wretched oftheEarth , 59-60. 5 Alongside thisconversion, Roosevelt 6 7 The The 67 Domestic Imperialism 68 Stance Volume 12 / April 2019 9 8 colonized Americans inthe system of economic subjugation. provide the tools for liberation; instead, itfurther entrenches the In other words, ifthe aimof government relief was to liberate, itwould before hisassassination, iftheir that stated aimwas to help, they would colonies’ independence. inaninterview shortly Sankara, Thomas of “underdevelopment” or the poverty, colonial powers reduce the in colonialism, though: byrefusing to address the underlying causes conditions which unsure. iscommon This makesurvival practice provides money withwhich to refusing survive, to improve the system. Instead of fostering self-sufficiency,type of aid merely this meant to increase the dependency of the colonized upon the colonial much like the economic aid and loans given to the colonies, isonly on periphery capital, rather foreign than capital. Government relief, sometimes unaffectionately called ghettos—are entirely dependent The colonized Americans, withinthe inner cities—which are American metropolis, however, have not significantly. changed allthat withFanon’sas dichotomy, the rest follows. thisreversal Itisfrom Americans. of the extraction and siphoning that, exported to the periphery and seldom are sold back to the colonized however,American city, the products of the metropolitan are factories or sold back to the inhabitants of the metropolis. Inthe of case the of the colony the products would beexported to the colonial power within the metropolis are the that located, factories and inthe case production and reproduction, despite not has this, changed. Itisstill extraction takes place withinthe metropolis. The siteof capital are either still from imported colonies the capital areas, actual or rural into the metropolis. although the Inthe raw American materials city, periphery and capital are and raw that extracted siphoned materials In the colony, the colonized live inthe periphery, and the itisfrom fanon/. com/2015/06/concerning-violence-introduces-new-generations-to-frantz- Fanon,” Introduces Violence’ NewGenerationstoFrantz JR, “‘Concerning David Cooper(NewYork: Verso, 2015), 160. Stokely Carmichael,“BlackPower,” inTheDialecticsofLiberation , ed. stuffing them inordertobeablesellthem later. That isnotreal help. milk, they arenothelping us.They usuplike arefattening youdowithgeese, That ishow wedefine food aid. Those who comewithwheat, millet,cornor [g]ive usplows,tractors, fertilizer, insecticide,wateringcans,drills,dams. The means of economic subjugation of the inhabitants of the that there ischeap labourexploited by those who liveoutsidethe cities. who liveoutsidethe community. These realcolonies,inthe arevery sense not control the land,the houses orthe stores.These areallownedby whites the blackpeople donotcontrol, nordothey own,the resources—wedo , lastmodifiedJune30,2015,sfbayview.San FranciscoBayView 9 8 dependency which been deliberately has fostered bythe colonizing their economic subjugation—through the already existing economic the colony, their to the loyalty colonial power through ismaintained not the colonial power. the On one hand, inthe police localized of the colonial system precisely because they are the police of the colony, Haitian police: the police inthe colony are, on some level, separate from police,American whereas inthe colony the police are, for example, in American policing. In other words, the police inAmerica are always level of abstraction and separation which isnot, and cannot be, present economic subjugation of the colonized—but the difference liesa in the enforcement of the economic supremacy of the colonizer and the local police fulfillthesame purposeas the American police—namely not their function—their raison d’etre—still the that the same? Itistrue Despite the aforeign change from presence to anative appearance, is of policing. more palatable appearance to those who do not know nature the true they are reproached: these are mere superficial attempts to cultivate a however, have not to change the served function of the police for which basketball withagroup of kids inHarlem, and so on. These attempts, programs or workshops, posting videos online of officersplaying to fight this of themcharacterization byimplementing various diversity the colonized, he isseen atraitor to as hisroots. The police have sought other words, instead of seeing ablack police officer asa representative of general aversion Black Liberation movements towards had the police. In inclusionist policies withinpolice departments, evidenced as bythe the inner cities—the colonized of America—seeing past the veneer of the police force. There isalready along history of the inhabitants of we are already accustomed to the colonized occupying arole within thefrom colonized. InAmerica, however, thiscannot bethe case, as replaced withapolice force which indistinguishable was virtually were implemented, thisvisibly foreign presence disappeared and was in other words, itwas avisibly foreignpresence. the After local police to thePrior police; localized there were and foreign marines police, foreign capital became indistinguishable visually the from colonized. worked so well precisely because the avenues of colonialism and within it.Roosevelt’s conception of police alocalized and militia colonial system, and more often than not they are visibly integrated force withinthe colonial power cannever befullyseparate the from police force Roosevelt as conceived of for the colony; the police colonial police, itisnot isthat completely possible to have a“local” III. POLICING, POLICE, AND PRISONS Can this, however,Can this, not besaid of Roosevelt’s police? localized ofThe failure the policing system inAmerica, compared to the 69 Domestic Imperialism 70 Stance Volume 12 / April 2019 actual or must actual potential criminals penal system: because that the current system social isstable and just, and offensive. Itisthis premise which underlies the whole of the just, then anyaction contrary to thismust,, beundesired byvirtue 12 11 10 just.” currently existing order social is“functionally stable and fundamentally namely, the underlying socio-political theory which believes the that premise upon which the police and are prisons eternally justified— then, isthe role of Itisfirstto investigate important prisons? the the colonial power and the economic subjugation of the colony, what, “legitimate interests.” andstate the interests state’s and, instead, operate according to itsown the system of policing would have necessarily to beseparate the from order for the American police to beseparate the from colonial system, interests,” the police as localized do inthe colony. Inother words, in power—that the is, state—and would rather actintheir own “legitimate the police would no longer bebeholden of to the the colonial authority abstraction and separation isnot that possible domestically; it would mean the contrary, can never escape thisbecause itwould mean alevel of for itsmaintenance. American police, despite their recent efforts to are rather the lackeys of thiseconomic supremacy and are responsible is not beholden to the economic supremacy of the colonial power; they for inorder awage to purchase food and afford rent—the system of policing economic interests which motivate them to policing—such the as need whims and interests of the state. While individual police might have on these same interests; they act,unabstracted and unseparated, on the interests.” the On other hand, the American police are not dependent force—but to thisisformulated return to Fanon, interms, of “legitimate order, and, therefore, morally depraved. of theirby virtue being native, already fundamentally opposed to this antithetical to, or void of, ethics, then the native—the colonized—is, founded upon thispremise and anyopposition that to itistherefore words canbeproperly understood; the that penal system ifitistrue is the entire penal system isjustified—that theof Fanon’s importance understanding the what basic, fundamental premise is—upon which negation of values… Inother words, absolute evil.” to ethics, representing not only the absence of values but also the Wretchedin The “the of that theEarth ‘native’ isdeclared impervious Fanon, Aptheker, “TheSocialFunctions,” 51. Verso, 2016),51. …, ed.AngelaY.States,” inIfTheyCometheMorning Davis(NewYork: Bettina Aptheker, “TheSocialFunctionsofthe PrisonsintheUnited If the role of policing isto enforce the economic supremacy of 10 Ifthe current order isfundamentally of stable things and Wretched oftheEarth,6. bemorally depraved. 12 Itisonly through 11 Fanon said

to eternally justify the existing order. political actsof revolt they commit canbe redefined inorderas criminal ethicallylabel the void—so colonized criminal—as as the that everyday stable and just and uses thisfoundational premise inorder to a priori the assumption the that currently existing order social isfundamentally andprison, the penal system ingeneral, istherefore operational upon to thislevel.” objectivelyhas reduced their possibilities of subsistence and survival [conscious] choice—implying other alternatives—but because society “notare aresult compelled as of activity, to resortto criminal It ison they that thisbasis are deemed criminal. existence, and itwould contrary beinfact to their self-interest to do so. system—are inno way inclined to advocate for the colonial system’s modern colonized day subject—those who are exploited bythe current modern colonizers and benefitfrom itscontinued existence, while the the order social and have no reason to seek itsdemise, for they are the who live inthe American periphery are fundamentally aligned with colonial order are determined bythe colonial power a priori the penal system iseternally justified, those who would oppose the to the colonial order. However, due to the basic premise upon which and rehabilitate anywho might do, or have done inthe past, harm 15 14 13 disruptive of the system.” social confinement and treatment of people who are actually or potentially order attack, from and consequently the role of the is“the prison determined: the penal system must, guard thissocial necessarily, the role Itisupon of prisons. same that premise their that role is are seen morally as depraved or ethically void, we cannow investigate fundamentally stable and just, and because that of thisthe colonized foundational the that claim currently existing order social is the absolute invulnerability of the existing order.” revolutionary movements are discredited and, furthermore, “affirm the American police have defined so that the politicalas criminal act suppressed reaching from the of ears the oppressed. Towards thisaim, inspire others to do the same, and news of revolt must the of Revolution, case the Haitian anyhint of successful revolt might system, however, cannot have itsopposition so openly known. in As notnecessity, of greed. They are on political thisbasis acts. The colonial perpetrators are subjected, and, moreover, of they are actsof survival, they are actswhich are opposed to the colonial system under which the Davis, “PoliticalPrisoners,” 31-33. Aptheker, “TheSocialFunctions,”54. , ed.AngelaY.Come intheMorning... Davis(New York: Verso, 2016),35-36. Angela Y. Davis,“PoliticalPrisoners, Prisons&BlackLiberation,”inIfThey Furthermore, itisdue to the colonial system itself individuals that Understanding the that penal system upon isbased the 14 These criminal acts, however, acts, These criminal are not merely criminal: 13 Inother words, confine prisons 15 The role of the therefore be . Those

71 Domestic Imperialism 72 Stance Volume 12 / April 2019 and further entrench the colonized intheir dependence. ameans as to suppresscriminal the effectiveness of liberatory actions uptake the very different project of defining the political and the colonized subjects—are, inAmerica, completely visible and such as The colonial police—in the colony indistinguishable the from other dependence of the colonized subject upon the colonial power structure. however,types, have the common the economic goalof furthering of the metropolis, now itfunctions mere as . Both means of survival colonized would use to invest inand buy the products of the factories Although economic aid previously functioned the as capital which the existed metropolis/periphery inthe original dichotomy isstill present. thiscapitalthat issiphoned. The same economic subjugation which andis extracted, itisinto the periphery, rather the than metropolis, production and reproduction, isnow also the which sitefrom capital dichotomy: the metropolis, while still being the siteof capital shown withinthe that colonial power there isareversal of Fanon’s on Huey P.Newton’s conception of domestic Ihave imperialism, police. thisessential Furthermore, taking structure and expanding in the economic subjugation, and inthe role of Roosevelt’s colonial of the capital from periphery and siphoning of capital to the metropolis, structure of Fanon’s metropolis/periphery dichotomy inthe extraction CONCLUSION Over the course of thisessay, Ihave explicated the essential graduate by spring 2020. byspring graduate climate change. He hopes to of humanpossibility extinction— philosophic responses to the real current research isfocused on theory,and critical although his interested inpolitical philosophy and history. Wolfe isprimarily studiesChattanooga, philosophy at University of Tennessee at J. Wolfe currently ajunior Harris, ABOUT THEAUTHOR: 73 Domestic Imperialism