Frantz Fanon, or the Difficulty of Being Martinican

Abstract

Although often read as though it were an extension of the Afrocentric negritude associated with Senghor and others, the early work of Frantz Fanon (and especially his Black Skin, White Masks of 1952) is deeply rooted in the lived experience of a young man from Martinique, or at least the French West Indies, and is strongly influenced by that island’s history. Like that of Aimé Césaire, Fanon’s experience is that of someone who in legal and constitutional terms is French, but who is constantly forced to admit that he is not. His vocabulary, imagery and occasional references to music all reflect that experience and call into question the very idea of a coherent Martinican identity. Press coverage of the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery in the French colonies in 1848 amply demonstrates Fanon’s continued relevance to a French département where the effects of slavery can still be felt. Fanon can also be demonstrated to be one of the forebears of a new generation of writers from Martinique who proclaim themselves to be not European, African, or Asian, but Creole.

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