Frantz Fanon's Intellectual Justification of Counter-Violence

Zenon Ndayisenga

• Publisher: Routledge
• Edition: 1
• Year: 2026
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Print ISBN:
  9781041356905
• Subtopic: African History
• eBook ISBN:
  9781040968710
• Index: Politics & International Relations

This book explores Frantz Fanon's political ideas on colonial violence and the counter-violence it provokes. Through Fanon's lens, colonialism is revealed as inherently violent, sustained by the forceful domination of Indigenous peoples and incapable of existing without violence. It argues that Fanon's concept of counter-violence is a direct and inevitable response to colonial violence. It demonstrates colonialism as an enduring system of exploitation that continues to be benefited by the Global North at the expense of the Global South, even after these states have become independent. The book argues that genuine decolonization cannot be achieved through negotiation or compromise but requires the transformative power of counter-violence. It also explores the broader implications of this resistance, including its
connection to self-defense, retaliation, and the creation of a new humanism in colonized societies. By engaging with Fanon's political imagination and comparing his ideas with other revolutionary thinkers, this book provides a critical framework for understanding the complexities of decolonization and resistance. It is an essential read for those seeking to grasp the enduring impact of colonialism and the revolutionary paths toward genuine liberation. The volume will be of interest to all oppressed peoples wherever they are in the world and especially to scholars and researchers of political philosophy, political ideologies, violence and war studies, colonialism and decolonization, and African studies.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• 1 Introduction
• 2 On Colonialism
• 3 Fanon on Colonial Violence
• 4 Fanon’s Intellectual Justification of the Theory of Counter-Violence
• 5 Why Is Self-Defense of Colonized Peoples Mandatory?
• 6 On Genuine Decolonization
• 7 Sartre on Retaliating Killings: A Resistance to the Colonial Massacre
• 8 Mao Zedong’s and Frantz Fanon’s Political Thoughts on Armed Struggle
• 9 Fanon’s Brilliant Conceptualization of New Humanism
• 10 Conclusion
• References
• Index