Fanon and Decolonial Thought

Introduction

Frantz Fanon (1925–1961) is probably the best known theorist of the Third World and a major reference in various formal fields of study, including Africana philosophy, and postcolonial studies. He is also an important reference in cultural anthropology, cultural studies, and political theory, among other fields (see Gordon 2015). This is an outline of some of his major contributions to a broader and less formal area: decolonial thought or decolonial thinking. Decolonial thinking refers to varied forms of knowledges that explore the significance of modern colonialism and that assert the relevance of decolonization. It is expressed in multiple ways: from written and oral discourses, to social movement organizing, to scholarly studies, to political manifestos, to dance and performance, music, poetry, and visual art, etc.

Fanon’s work is a major reference in twentieth- and twenty-first-century global decolonial thinking. His four major published texts Black Skin, White Masks (