Frantz Fanon and the Psychology of Oppression

This is a biography of Frantz Fanon. It presents an absorbing and careful ac­ count of several impressive themes. First is the review and assessment of Fanon’s life. Second is a theory of psychology, by the author, which will aug­ ment and prove useful to theorists and practitioners who focus on Third World people. And lastly there is a broad and systematic integration of many areas of scholarship including philosophy, anthropology, political science, history, so­ ciology, mythology, public health, and economics. Bulhan’s writing is lucid, creative, and persuasive. It demonstrates that all these scholarly areas must be handled with erudition in order to build a baseline for understanding both Fanon and the psychology of oppression. Readers of Fanon will be familiar with the psychology of oppression which he presented so forcefully. How life events and experiences led to the formula­ tion of this psychology is the chief emphasis of the author. Yet the book also gives scintillating clinical proof that Fanon made many other significant con­ tributions to his field. He was an outstanding and dedicated physician as well as a philosopher and political activist.