Fanon—Imperative of the Now

This collection of essays marks the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of Frantz Fanon's classic study of anticolonial struggle, The Wretched of the Earth. Scholars explore the relevance of Fanon's work for current modes of psychoanalysis, postcolonial theory, and political thought. One contributor reposes a classic question of postcolonial scholarship: what does it mean for a colonial Caribbean man to practice a Continental intellectual tradition? Others identify Fanon's experiences working at a mental institution in colonial French Algeria as a powerful influence on his psychoanalytic perspective. This issue revitalizes Fanon's canonical status as Third World theorist by asserting that the main imperatives of Fanon's work remain as urgent as ever: combating the psychic and physical violence of colonialism, achieving real forms of liberation for colonized peoples, and ending the degradation of people of color.

Contributors: Matthew Abraham, Gerard Aching, John E. Drabinski, Grant Farred, Nigel C. Gibson, Priyamvada Gopal, Joy James, Ranjana Khanna, Alfred J. Lopez, Miguel Mellino, Simon Morgan Wortham, Richard Pithouse

Grant Farred is Professor of Africana Studies and English at Cornell University. He is the former editor of the South Atlantic Quarterly and the author, most recently, of Long Distance Love: A Passion for Football.