Exploring Alienation in Frantz Fanon’s Black Skin, White Masks 

Frantz Fanon, a psychiatrist, philosopher, and revolutionary thinker from the French colony of Martinique, published Black Skin, White Masks in 1952. This influential book examined the psychological impact of racism and the inherent dehumanization within colonial rule. Fanon argued that colonial powers compelled the colonized to adopt the language and cultural values of the oppressors, causing a deep sense of self-loss. He referred to this process as a form of mimicry, where colonized individuals began to imitate the dominant, often Western, colonial cultures, essentially rejecting their true identity in favor of a “white” persona.

To illustrate this, consider a young boy named David, who longs to be like his admired classmate, Daniel. David starts to imitate Daniel’s gestures, speech, posture, and even his style. He joins the same sports, listens to the same music, and chooses the same meals at lunch. Over time, this imitation feels natural to David; Daniel’s style, preferences, and character traits seem to blend into his own. Eventually, David begins to feel he is indistinguishable from Daniel.

One morning, however, David looks into the mirror and, despite his feelings, realizes he still appears as himself. This incongruity leaves him disoriented: “Who am I?” he wonders. He’s become accustomed to identifying with Daniel’s life, but when confronted by reality, he feels alienated and distressed.

Fanon argued that this disturbing moment of self-recognition reflects the experience of the colonized. They may adopt the language, behavior, and lifestyle of the colonizers, yet encounters with prejudice or moments of self-realization reveal to them that their attempts to “be white” have not erased their original identity. Fanon believed that these moments foster alienation, anxiety, and a painful loss of self-identity, as colonized people understand that they can never fully belong in the colonizer’s world they strive to imitate.