Problematic ideas of racism, alienation and acculturation in frantz fanon's "Black skin,white masks"

TitleProblematic ideas of racism, alienation and acculturation in frantz fanon's "Black skin,white masks"
Publication Typeวิทยานิพนธ์/Thesis
Year of Publication2013
AuthorsNarasith Senajan
DegreeMaster of Arts -- Major in English and Communication
InstitutionFaculty of Liberal Arts, Ubon Ratchathani University
CityUbon Rachathani
Call NumberHM N218 2013
KeywordsAcculturation, Alienation (Philosophy), English language -- Usage, Racism, Sociology -- Methodology
Abstract

“Black Skin, White Masks” is one of Frantz Fanon]s most acclaimed books about effects of colonization especially the effect of racism resulting in alienation due to the black’s attempts to acculturate white culture. In this book, Fanon claims that the white use racism to seize and colonize the black’s power. The black, as a result, struggle in the stage of ambivalence that they cannot become white and cannot return to their cultural heritage because they have been internalized to hate their own culture. From this aspect, the black suffer from alienation due to ambivalence.
His ideas in the book are widely developed by many postcolonial scholars, especially in the field of psychological dealing with identity of black people. The researcher finds that his ideas are problematic from the methodology used by Fanon (Freudian’s psychoanalysis) and lack of solid evidence, empirical data and test. Some data and results from social, evolutionary and cross-cultural psychology are used to compare with Fanon ideas in this research. The results are:
(1) Racism is a product of out evolved defensive mechanism stimulated when groups’ competition is intense. It is natural racism was a tool used in this period and any race can practice racism. Fanon shows only the effect in black but never show racism against the white in black’s perspectives.
(2) Evolutionary psychology suggests the stereotyping groups tend to survive the most and this mechanism is evolved and inherited from generation to generation. People also tend to use explicit marker such as language and skin color to identity their members.
(3) It is not necessary that the victim of racism must be ambivalent, hate their culture and become alienated; some data have showed that racism and promote inclusive fitness of the victims’ group or identity because it can gather the victims in the same loop and they in turn will find positive aspects of their the same loop and they in turn will find positive aspects of their groups against the prejudice and compose negative aspects for the outgroup to fight back.

Title Alternate ปัญหาทางแนวความคิดในเรื่องการเหยียดชาติพันธุ์ ความแปลกแยกและการเปลี่ยนวัฒนธรรมในหนังสือ"Black skin, white masks"