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Fanon, Liberation, and the Playful Politics of Philosophical Archaeology

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Fanon, Liberation, and the Playful Politics of Philosophical Archaeology “MAN IS A YES”: FANON, LIBERATION, AND THE PLAYFUL POLITICS OF PHILOSOPHICAL ARCHAEOLOGY A Dissertation Submitted to the Temple University Graduate Board In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY by Douglas J. Ficek August 2013 Examining Committee Members: Lewis R. Gordon, Advisory Chair, Department of Philosophy Jane Anna Gordon, Department of Political Science Owen Ware, Department of Philosophy Linda Martín Alcoff, External Member, City University of New York © Copyright 2013 by Douglas J. Ficek All Rights Reserved ii ABSTRACT What is the meaning of Fanonian liberation? That is the question that animates this work, which is (negatively) inspired by the reality of misanthropy, practical and theoretical, and neocolonialism, external and internal. To answer this question, I first situate Frantz Fanon within the larger discourse of liberation, emphasizing the relationship between his liberatory work and the work of Gustavo Gutiérrez, Paulo Freire, and Enrique Dussel. From there, I argue that there is today an unfortunate privileging of ethics, and that this privileging is used to discredit the political as an intersubjective domain. To establish (what I call) the primacy of politics, I carefully analyze Fanon's first book, Black Skin, White Masks, and his sociogenetic conclusions. I then turn to The Wretched of the Earth and to the phenomenon of petrification, which is, I contend, one of the most important features of colonialism and neocolonialism. To fully explain this phenomenon, I consider both its mythopoetic significance and its relationship to Jean-Paul Sartre's conception of seriousness. Finally, I argue that the solution to the problem of petrification can be found in Fanon's second book, A Dying Colonialism, in which there are rich descriptions of political playfulness and (what I call) philosophical archaeology, which can be defined as the descriptive and evaluative analysis of meanings as contingent human artifacts. iii To Gary Ficek, my loving dad, to whom I owe so, so much iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Where to begin? I argue in this dissertation that thriving depends largely upon external conditions, and although I am proud of this work and confident with respect to its conclusions, there is no doubt that many people have helped me along the way, that many people have fostered the conditions that made its successful completion possible. I must begin with Lewis R. Gordon, my dedicated advisor and mentor. I discovered his work in the summer of 2000 – Existentia Africana practically called to me in that Dayton bookstore – and it absolutely blew me away. I knew immediately that I wanted to study with him, and four years later I got my wish. Not surprisingly, working with Lewis has been a joy and an honor, and I thank him for his generosity and his confidence. He never lost faith in me, and I am forever in his debt. I must also thank Paul C. Taylor and Philip Alperson, both of whom gave me thoughtful feedback on my initial prospectus, and Jana Anna Gordon, Owen Ware, and Linda Martín Alcoff for agreeing to serve on my committee. I have known Jane for about as long as I have known Lewis, and I greatly admire her intellectual work and her remarkable spirit. Her insights on Fanon have been invaluable. I do not know Owen well, as he joined my committee rather late in the process, but his feedback has also been very helpful. The questions that he has posed have forced me to rethink the politics of liberation. As for Linda, what v can I say? I am so glad that she and I got to know each other down at Zuccotti Park. Knowing and admiring her excellent work from afar was one thing, but getting to know her as an activist has really been something else entirely – a surprising and rewarding experience, to be sure. I am lucky to have had so many wonderful teachers throughout the years. David Volk – forever “Mr. Volk” – taught me Latin in both junior high and high school, and his example, which was one of dedication and decency, continues to inspire me. Bill Lucas and John Mayer taught me drama back then, and they gave me the confidence to stand up, literally and figuratively, in front of large groups of people. As an undergraduate student at Iowa State University, I was lucky to have Robert Hollinger as my advisor. He was hilarious, and his work challenged me to become a better thinker and writer. In the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, I must also thank Hector Avalos, Heimir Geirsson, Errol Katayama, Charles Starkey, and Tony Smith, the last of whom taught my first college-level course in philosophy. All of them taught me, both formally and informally, what it means to do intellectual work. Mid-way through my undergraduate studies, I met J. Herman Blake, and there is no doubt that he is responsible for my current trajectory as a scholar and teacher. He exposed me to the work of W.E.B. Du Bois, among others, and it is because of him that I chose to pursue Africana philosophy as a field. Blake also opened many doors for me: I gave my first conference presentation with him in Indianapolis, and he helped me get a summer research position at the Kettering Foundation, a think tank in Dayton. He supported me through thick and thin, vi and I am eternally grateful. As a graduate student at Columbia University, I was lucky to work with Manning Marable and Jim Murray, both of whom spent many hours working with me on my thesis. Sadly, both of them have passed on. Many friends have supported me during the ups and downs of the writing process. Troy Parkinson, Reed Sigmund, Timm Sharp, and Jason “AC” Spencer have been like brothers to me since high school, and I have always been able to count on them for unconditional love and big, hearty laughs. LeShane Lindsey, too, is like a brother to me, and our friendship is definitely one of the highlights of my move to New York City. I must also thank Jessica Blackhawk, Avram “Oz” Blaker, Heather Coletti, Compadre (our awesome cat), Carolyn Cusick, Anthony Dandridge, Susan Deisroth, Marissa Holman, Joan Jasak, Devon Johnson, Amy Kedron, Danielle LaSusa, Alvin Mallette, Dan Marshall, Michael Monahan, José Muñiz, John Raven, Lesley Shabala, and Ana Francine Ybarra-Rojas. Special thanks are due to Jordan Pascoe, my close friend and colleague. We spent many hours at John Jay College of Criminal Justice talking about our work and our lives, and her insights have been invaluable. Talking philosophy with her is always a joy. Christy Ficek, my big sister, has always been there for me, and I am glad that she and I remain so close. Her morbid sense of humor converges well with mine, and we have always been able to find the funny in anxiety and absurdity. This work would not exist without her, and I thank her. My mom, Susan Oman, always thinks I'm mad at her, but the opposite is vii the case. I am grateful for her love, for her feistiness, and for her moral support over the years. There were times when I doubted myself, but she never let them last. She always believed in me. My dad, Gary Ficek, has supported me and my education from the very beginning, and I definitely would not be where I am were it not for his many sacrifices. I dedicate this work to him, and I hope that it is a work of which he can, at long last, be proud. Finally, I must thank my wife and best friend, Rosario “Charis” Torres- Guevara, who has had to endure my ups and downs during this process, and who has never failed to affirm my potential at every step of the way. She has been my rock, and I am so, so lucky to have her in my life. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT...............................................................................................................iii DEDICATION...........................................................................................................iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.........................................................................................v CHAPTER 1 TO AFFIRM THE HUMAN: FANON IN OUR MISANTHROPIC TIMES..............................................................1 CHAPTER 2 THE UNDERSIDE UNDIVIDED: FANON AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF LIBERATION...........................................32 CHAPTER 3 ETHICS IRRESPONSIBLE: FANON AND THE PRIMACY OF POLITICS.........................................................76 CHAPTER 4 COLONIAL MONSTROSITY: FANON AND THE PROBLEM OF PETRIFICATION..........................................133 CHAPTER 5 PLAYFUL MUTATIONS: FANON AND THE POLITICS OF PHILOSOPHICAL ARCHAEOLOGY............150 CONCLUSION TOWARD A TERRIFYING FUTURE: FANON AND OUR CONTINUED RELEVANCE..................................................179 BIBLIOGRAPHY....................................................................................................181 ix CHAPTER 1 TO AFFIRM THE HUMAN: FANON IN OUR MISANTHROPIC TIMES Frantz Fanon died of acute leukemia in December 1961 – little more than fifty years ago as of the writing of these words. He was only thirty-six years old, but he had already made numerous contributions not only to knowledge but also – and far more importantly – to humanity itself. He was a “questioning body,”1 to be sure, and he selflessly offered both his mind and his body to the cause of human liberation; his praxis was one of ink and blood.2 Shortly before his death, for example, Fanon regretted not being able to die on the battlefield, a risk with which he was more than familiar. “Death is always with us,” he observed, “and what matters is not to know whether we can escape it but whether we have achieved the maximum for the ideas we have made our own....We are nothing on earth if we are not in the first place the slaves of a cause, the cause of the peoples, the cause of justice and liberty.”3 Fanon did live to see the publication of The Wretched of the Earth – Jean- 1 Recall the prayer that concludes Frantz Fanon, Black Skin, White Masks, trans.
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