Fanon's classic text on colonialism and the fight to decolonize, and what it means to establish a new government out of a colonial revolution. I had read this ten years or so ago and it had been really striking, but coming back to it now older and hopefully wiser I found much I had forgotten or not been ready for.
The first part is explicitly an argument towards the necessity for violence and the ways in which that violence is stigmatized by the colonists to rob it of its power. Stuff I think most people reading this already have worked through, but worth revisiting because Fanon is sharp about breaking it down bit by bit.
The main thing I was struck by was instead the third section, which is about how a country can be ordered after the colonizers are thrown off, and what it looks like to try to forge a new path. It talks about the difference between national character and nationalism, the need for one and the ways to help curtail the other. It perfectly defines the bourgeoisie that had benefitted from colonialism who will try to then rob this new nation and how useless they are and how the population must defeat their poison. It talks about the need for education, the vital place the rural citizens have and how they're so often neglected when the voices of a revolution come from cities, and the uselessness of the middle manager. It's incredible and specific and truly answers many of the hand wringing concerns that people still have when confronted with the idea of throwing off an oppressive government and forging a new path. There is often a limit to the imagination of people especially when they live in the empire (Americans, I’m talking about myself and other Americans), and Fanon offers clear directions and good examples of what works, what doesn't work, and the order of how things can break in a new nation.
Anyway, I don't need to tell people the book is good, I think Fanon is essential reading, and I'm so happy I sat down to actually reread it. If you've never checked out his work before, I think this is the one to pick up for sure.
