Postcolonial Reading: On Black Skin White Mask-Frantz Fanon

 

BLACK SKIN WHITE MASK

A book published in 1952 by Frantz Fanon, a psychiatrist and intellectual.

Generally it is perceived that with the advent of Colonialism, Post-Colonialism begun but it isn't the case. Along with Colonialism, Post-Colonialism started because when in 1857, Britishers consolidated power in India, the impact was disastrous on the mind of colonised people.

Obviously it has affected their sensitivity, and in effect of brooding none can speak for their rights. For rights also one needs knowledge and equal courage, though it doesn't happen in many cases but yes in some  cases it worked effectively and its repercussions are incredible and beyond one's imagination.

As it is said: "A brave has always space".

That is an another thing but as India was backward then in education as well as having such people who were mostly unaware of the resources which India had, otherwise they would have utilized well. As we discussed in previous paragraph, it may be happening due to lack of knowledge of the things that India had. So when Britishers came to India and brought with them the idea of global language(English language) which was majorly concerning trade and finance, this made people realize where they are lacking. Even though only those who were able to identify, were facilitated with this langauge, the rest were still struggling or just we can say 'beating around the bush'.

How it is, when everything is open in front of you and you're not understanding anything?

How this can be considered? Have you deadened your consceince, that it isn't able to either work for reception or for transmission?

You're just not seeing, where you're and what you yourself is doing, but finding problems in everyone?

Is it so that such people are habituated? But how then they will compensate that great loss? With what measure? Or would they be able to realise or do so? 

That is remaining to be seen..

The Black Man and Language

Black man was always expected to acquire White man's language if not acquiring he will be considered as 'ineligible' and if incase acquired he will be drained out of all racial ideas of White people. Therefore 

though it was black skin, but they had to wear white mask of language.

The Woman of Colour and the White Man

The white man was seen in Fanon's Black Skin White Mask as something contributing in giving black woman a good status and a feeling of worthiness. But when the same thing is experienced by a black woman, she will feel out of place and a sense of unworthiness among white people.

The So-Called Dependancy of the Colonised

Mannoni has produced Prospero and Caliban: Psychology of Colonization. Likewise we can also see in Aime Cesaire's A Tempest that how Caliban is colonised by Prospero, the king. As a black Caliban, he is more furious, violent and compassionate while on the contrary Ariel being a Mullato is like honey and place faith in Prospero's saying: "that he will be given freedom and later on he is given".

But in aforementioned scrap of the given title, it is written that the study of psychological study being done by Mannoni, seems to be too exhaustive in nature and lost its tendency to see the reality.

Therefore it is what how a colonizer plays role in life of colonized and as per Fanon, besides considering this analysis as psycological, it also seems to him the effective disalienation of the black man entails immediate recognition of social and economic realities and if there is inferiority complex it is the outcome of the double process. Primarily economic and then internalization or epidermalization of this inferiority.

Furthermore Freud, considering individual factor, substitutes phylogeny for ontogeny. But black man alienation isn't an individual question, besides phylogeny and ontogeny stands for sociogeny. In one sense conforming to the views of Leconte and Damey(question of sociodiagnostic).

The Man of Colour and the White Woman

The black man would always strive for white woman and feels to be somewhat worthy to live the life with her. 

Considering the very concept of psychology connected with this novel.

The Lived Experience of the Black Man

As black men are considered to be inferior to the white men, they had to suffer a lot or in another term it can be said that those were destined to the whites, without which they can't even think of their lives. While somewhere it was internalized so badly that they won't be able to come out from their made boundaries. If one considers boundaries then one will have a feeling of boundary, but if not then noone has its prospect also.

If situating this properly in postcolonial context then such people weren't financially and economically that much stable, there must be something as stimulation, basing on that people can fight through. If your own life is baseless, and if you're uncertain of how you will be able to fight. So in such circumstances, rather to fight, African people chose to succumb to the situation.

The Black Man and Psychopathology

Accordingly their psychology was affected and they were enforced to be dumbed rather than raising their voices and if it is blocked, how they would be able to speak? They can't speak and even not in proper senses to understand, how they are pressurised to live. Where every now and then you're in constant fear, you have to check your actions, you're reluctant frequently, moving back and examining if any mistake isn't being done and if accidently done, you will be punished by your white master. If one is out from the fear, one will be able to think, while fear has overpowered your own senses and you can't think beyond your own situation as you're forced to engrossed in.

A reaction to the later part of Nineteenth Century, as we discussed Freud has considered Ontogenic(for apt mental psychological development, that is from immaturity to the mature level) which can be seen in socio dynamics, can't be seen in phylogenic. 

The Black Man and Recognition

When one is internalizing the idea that yes white is something that is pure, virgin, made for justice and privileged, he/she himself/herself is becoming inferior and if that if further stimulated then one want be able to find its tracks(As emphasized by Antonio Gramsci in context of orientalism with Edward Said that "History has it's own traces" and with a person's preference it can be seen) and one has to further thrust one.

But when came to realization one will try to resist rather than succumbing, one will have his/her own voice to raise rather than expecting from someone to say something for her/him and gradually in this manner one can groom one's life, which is exacted on self-reliancy and self-independency.

Analysis of the novel

If we analyze the entire concept of the novel then we will come to know that Blacks are marginalized, suppressed, only their physicality is considered(a false notion of by birth dumb), crushed under White people's feet, their emotions and feelings have smoked and evaporated at some unknown place without noise. Due to internalization/epidermalization they have accepted their place and position in society, yet not trying to improve it but constantly by belittling further marring themselves.

If reading their working of mind(mental psychology) then they may be thinking 'we're fated to this fate(may be due to superstitions or some false faith in religion or lack of knowledge) and so further trying to improve it, constantly which isn't possible and rather in vain.

If not succumbing to the current situation created by the blacks, may be they won't be even able to get food, which is most essential for person to remain alive. 

But then a questions arises that why such persons, even think to be alive? While anything isn't there. Something is there, is only a tiny measure for their survival. It is happening may be because their conscience are dead(or perhaps serving concerning their heritage) how their ancestors used to do.

There may be many interpretations as such. But if we see through Orientalist point of view it seems clearly that if one is aware of one's situation one will try to modify it or atleast strive for. But when one isn't even thinking of doing so then how it can be interpreted. It can be assumed as they have accepted their situation as their ultimate fate, though in subordinate manner.

On the other side when we're to see Whites, one can guess that they may be craving someone to give them some position as their desires of having power is also suppressed by their own people. Remaining in their area only, hierarchical position differs but these blacks are their to pay them homage so the position(which they have) won't matter as they are internalized by blacks and those are definitely going to serve them as expected by them.

Thus in this manner, the very novel is based on postcolonialism, the concept of master and slave(black and white), psychopathology, complexive colonized people and the two different identities, how when fated to, they have to adjust or think of some way out.

Works Cited

Fanon, Frantz.,"Novel: Black Skin White Mask", 1952.