Thinking Activity: Black Skin White Masks

'Identity' a very simple word with innumerable meanings. And when we perceive Identity word theoretically complexities of Identity word increases. Every human being passes through more than one identity throughout their life. 

Identity makes one to categories themselves and also celebrates the sense of belongingness to a particular Group, Community, Caste and Race. So, When we study Identity remarks in Colonialism then Black people see themselves as Inferior and White as superior. So, it creates a Hegemonic Identity Structure where one belongs to a privileged position and from there they see others as lower in them. So, This is how a Power constructs Identity Markers.

'Black Skin White Masks' a psychological thesis by Frantz Fanon offers  a Philosophical, Clinical, Psychological, Literary and political explanation of Racism and Colonialism with respect to deep effects of lived experiences of Black people.

The book examines the Black People's mind and how their identities are created by white people under their rule, which deeply affected their ways of thinking, their ways of being-self, their desires, their ways of seeing other people of their own community, their values and many more. Their own identities are oppressed in such a way that now they aren't able to see what they really are. They are still in search of the meaning of their own life because they pursue their Identity which is perceived by Colonizers for them. As Ziauddin Sardar made the right remark that….

"(Blackman)A zone of non-being, an extraordinarily sterile and arid region, where black is not a man and mankind is digging into its own flash to find meaning."

To establish a strong foundation of his work he made some term clear to understand Racism. In Introduction he said in order to understand Racism one needs to answer the two questions…

• What is 'Man'?
• What is 'Blackman'?

So, the man is attributed to only White people, people with power, with superiority, civilized and colonizers. While the Blackman is a term used for people with Black Skin and along with them so many terms are attached like Uncivilized, Uneducated, Coloured people, colonized and native people of land. So, both white and black people are trapped in their own racial identities.

So, understanding Blackman's experience in White World is very difficult and complex. Because there are so many false Myths are created by White people about Black. With reference to that Fanon provides deep historical context and critique of how the identity of Black people and the very idea of blackness as evil were constructed and produced.

To analyse the damage done by white colonial rule on black people's Psyche Fanon made use of Psychoanalysis. 

Colonizers or White people have a deep fear of educated black. So, To hold their power over black people they started dismantling their colour, their culture, their ways of living and even their Psyche or mind. They always see Black People under the category of uncivilised, uneducated and the phrase they used is 'Pidgin.' In order to sustain their superiority Colonizers started showing Black as inferior and they always see Black as dark skinned people uncivilised by nature instead of considering their excellences of expertise. Fanon said…

"He(Fanon)  is seen not as Dr Fanon, But as a Black Man who is a Doctor."

This way of thinking is designed by colonizers to maintain their power over black people and Black people remain always stuck in "Inferior Status within colonial rule." But the deep psychological effects of these colonial rule are still dwelling in the deep Psyche of mind and Black people still consider themselves as inferior in comparison to White. Deep craving to become White, having blue eyes, having a White husband or wife these all are the deep desires of Black people to see dignity in becoming White or remaining around White people. 

The book Black Skin White mask is divided into 8 chapters…

• The Negro and Language 
• The Woman of Color and the White Man
• The Man of Color and the White Woman
• The So-Called Dependency Complex of Colonized 
• The Fact of Blackness 
• The Negro and Psychopathology 
• The Negro and Recognition
• By Way of Conclusion

Psychological terms used in book

1) Psychopathology: Pathology refers to Abnormality, disease or any disorder. And Psychopathology in whole meaning Psychological problem. This term is used in the 6th chapter. And this term clearly defines Psychological impact of Racism and Colonialism on the colonized mind. Thus Psychopathology is disturbance or problems in a person's psychological makeup.

The major example of Psychopathology given by Fanon in this book is about the Children's story. How a children story constructs the mind of a child from childhood by representing White man as the hero of the story. And when Black children realize that they are black not a hero but a savage belonging to uncivilised land. So, It creates consequences in mind and psychological effects of those stories are incarnated deep, so removal of their roots is very hard. So, the relationship between Black people and representation of blackness creates a kind of Psychopathology. So, the central idea which Fanon wants to describe is Sickness is in Family Background, from where everything emerges.

For the individual the authority of the state is a reproduction of the authority of the family by which he was shaped in his childhood. Ultimately the individual assimilates all the authorities that he meets to the authority of the parents: He perceives the present in terms of the past. Like all other human conduct, behaviour toward authority is something, learned. And it is learned in the heart of a family that can be described, from the psychological

2) Lactification: Black people have a deep desire to become whiter termed as Lactification. Racial differences constructed during colonial rule represent black as inferior. And this inferiority is internalised in such a way that Black see themselves as Dark skinned and their willingness to get white skin shows how they forget their own identity as Black. In the words of Fanon...

"I want to be recognised not 

as black but as white"

3) Dependency Complex: Another term used by Fanon is Dependency Complex. Black people think they are dependent on white and without them they cannot unlift their own community. 

"I will compel the white man to acknowledge that I am human. But M. Mannonai will counter you cannot do it. Because in your depth there is a Dependency Complex."

What Mannonai wants to argue is that every attempt to show themselves as Human can be seen as a Dependency Complex. Because Black people's Identity of being human is dependent on White man's consideration of them as Human.

Major Ideas of the Book

• The idea of Blackness

He is seen not as Dr Fanon, But as a Black Man who is a Doctor.

• Notion of Body and Color

"White people do not see him, they see his body."

• The idea of Identity

I was walled in: neither my refined manners nor my literary knowledge nor my understanding of quantum theory could find favor.

• Deep Desires of Mankind
• Otherness
• Racism

Conclusion

Fanon concludes the things by raising the question of why we want to categorize people under their Race of Black or white and also why some are Superior and Inferior. Every being is only Human being by birth so we need forget all these descrimination which is created in past. Both White and Black are prisoners of their past but now It's a time to move away from inhuman voices of their ancestors. So, that both communities come closer.

“The Negro enslaved by his inferiority, the white man enslaved by his superiority alike behaves in accordance with a neurotic orientation.”

So, here Fanon is not much more interested in History and Past. And he is also not blaming White for all that,he doesn't want that White people should feel guilty. But his only attempt is to make people aware that now those dark days are gone. But still people are prisoners of their past, still prisoners of Racism and still they feel Inferior in being white.

I will not make myself the man of any past. I do not want to sing the past to the detriment of my present and my future.Let the dead bury the dead, I am my own foundation.

Fanon concludes his work by making a prayer…

"O my body, always make me a man who questions."

References

• Fanon, Frantz (1952). "The Negro and Psychopathology", in Black Skin, White Masks. France: Éditions du Seuil.
• Fanon, Frantz. Black Skin, White Masks Summary. www.gradesaver.com/black-skin-white-masks/study-guide/summary.
• Fanon, F. (2008). Black Skin, White Masks. Pluto Press.