This book profoundly analyzes the spirit and psychology of the colonizers and the colonized, and depicts the spiritual "enslavement" of colonialism on people of color. Under the hegemony of white people's discourse, black people are considered ignorant and backward, while white people are civilized people. Taking the black people living in the Antilles, the former French Overseas Department, as an example, Fanon described how black people lost their subjectivity and identity in colonialism. Antilleans are French citizens in a legal sense. As people of color, they always have a sense of inferiority when facing white people. They subconsciously recognize the superior status of white people, try to put on a "white mask", close the distance with white people, and long for recognition. However, "turning white" is an unattainable idea, and therefore it has become an eternal spiritual shackles for the colonized people. This book is important for our understanding of issues of race and the construction of self-identity that still exist today.
Reader comments
This book resonated with me very much, and it reminded me of the experiences of some of my friends. As the book says, racial issues still exist. Some people try to measure themselves by white people's standards, but ignore their own unique culture and values. We should get rid of the shackles of the "white mask", accept and love ourselves for who we are, and not be swayed by other people's opinions. This book not only reveals the problem, but also provides us with a direction for thinking, which is very inspiring.
This book resonated with me very much, and it reminded me of the experiences of some of my friends. As the book says, racial issues still exist. Some people try to measure themselves by white people's standards, but ignore their own unique culture and values. We should get rid of the shackles of the "white mask", accept and love ourselves for who we are, and not be swayed by other people's opinions. This book not only reveals the problem, but also provides us with a direction for thinking, which is very inspiring.