Description

Book Synopsis

This is the first book to offer a systematic comparison of the philosophies of Albert Camus and Frantz Fanon. It shows how the ethical, political, and psychological outlooks of these two influential thinkers can further our understandings of how to bring about justice in the face of deep power imbalances.

The author foregrounds the bloody Algerian War of Independence in his analysis of the philosophies of Camus and Fanon. Although neither supported French colonial occupation of Algeria, they held radically different views of the conflict. Fanon supported emancipation through violence, which the author argues has been uncritically romanticized. Camus, on the other hand, supported an ethics of moderation that shunned indiscriminate violence. The author argues that Camus has been unfairly accused of being an apologist for colonialism. Finally, the author draws out the common endorsement of humanist values that drive both Camusâ and Fanonâs thought.

Camus and Fanon on th

Trade Review

"Even as the anti-colonialism that so much drove Fanon has become a powerful force in today’s world, so too do we seem, in recent times, to have been plunged back into what is almost a replay of the events of the 1930s and 1940s that so shaped Camus’ thinking. Algeria is the landscape in which the contrast between Camus and Fanon was largely played out historically and biographically; that contrast is now being played out, in broader terms, across the world. Tabensky’s ground-breaking, rigorous, and thoughtful book is thus a timely intervention in a past debate that nevertheless remains very much alive – a book for the present and for the future."

Jeff Malpas, Emeritus Distinguished Professor, University of Tasmania, Australia

"This book puts two significant writers, Camus and Fanon, in conversation for the first time. Tabensky moves us beyond superficial or anachronistic depictions to consider the options for social change in the face of entrenched colonial structures. These two would not, and did not, agree on much apart from the necessity of foreign and racial domination to disappear, but considering the two together allows us to see the options for resistance."

Bruce B. Janz, University of Central Florida, USA



Table of Contents

1. Introduction

Part I: Fanon

2. The Pure Peasant-Warrior-Philosopher

3. Dreams, Lies and the New Man

4. "The Trials and Tribulations of National Consciousness"

5. The Therapeutic Function of Violence?

6. The New Man?

7. Liberation Psychiatry

Part II: Camus

8. Almost Brushing Shoulders

9. Bad Faith

10. Sisyphus

11. An Unlikely Solution

12. "The Temple of Caesar"

13. "I rebel—therefore we exist": Truth, Freedom, and Communication

14. Conclusion.

Bibliography

Index

Camus and Fanon on the Algerian Question

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    A Hardback by Pedro Tabensky

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      View other formats and editions of Camus and Fanon on the Algerian Question by Pedro Tabensky

      Publisher: Taylor & Francis
      Publication Date: 12/9/2022 12:00:00 AM
      ISBN13: 9780367745981, 978-0367745981
      ISBN10: 0367745984

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      This is the first book to offer a systematic comparison of the philosophies of Albert Camus and Frantz Fanon. It shows how the ethical, political, and psychological outlooks of these two influential thinkers can further our understandings of how to bring about justice in the face of deep power imbalances.

      The author foregrounds the bloody Algerian War of Independence in his analysis of the philosophies of Camus and Fanon. Although neither supported French colonial occupation of Algeria, they held radically different views of the conflict. Fanon supported emancipation through violence, which the author argues has been uncritically romanticized. Camus, on the other hand, supported an ethics of moderation that shunned indiscriminate violence. The author argues that Camus has been unfairly accused of being an apologist for colonialism. Finally, the author draws out the common endorsement of humanist values that drive both Camusâ and Fanonâs thought.

      Camus and Fanon on th

      Trade Review

      "Even as the anti-colonialism that so much drove Fanon has become a powerful force in today’s world, so too do we seem, in recent times, to have been plunged back into what is almost a replay of the events of the 1930s and 1940s that so shaped Camus’ thinking. Algeria is the landscape in which the contrast between Camus and Fanon was largely played out historically and biographically; that contrast is now being played out, in broader terms, across the world. Tabensky’s ground-breaking, rigorous, and thoughtful book is thus a timely intervention in a past debate that nevertheless remains very much alive – a book for the present and for the future."

      Jeff Malpas, Emeritus Distinguished Professor, University of Tasmania, Australia

      "This book puts two significant writers, Camus and Fanon, in conversation for the first time. Tabensky moves us beyond superficial or anachronistic depictions to consider the options for social change in the face of entrenched colonial structures. These two would not, and did not, agree on much apart from the necessity of foreign and racial domination to disappear, but considering the two together allows us to see the options for resistance."

      Bruce B. Janz, University of Central Florida, USA



      Table of Contents

      1. Introduction

      Part I: Fanon

      2. The Pure Peasant-Warrior-Philosopher

      3. Dreams, Lies and the New Man

      4. "The Trials and Tribulations of National Consciousness"

      5. The Therapeutic Function of Violence?

      6. The New Man?

      7. Liberation Psychiatry

      Part II: Camus

      8. Almost Brushing Shoulders

      9. Bad Faith

      10. Sisyphus

      11. An Unlikely Solution

      12. "The Temple of Caesar"

      13. "I rebel—therefore we exist": Truth, Freedom, and Communication

      14. Conclusion.

      Bibliography

      Index

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