Fanon, Psychoanalysis, and Critical Decolonial Psychology: The Mind of Apartheid

by Derek Hook

Overview

This groundbreaking book examines the psychological dimension of decolonial thought in reference to foundational texts. Previously published as A Critical Psychology of the Postcolonial, this new edition foregrounds the central role of Fanon’s psychology.

Highlighting the contributions of anti-colonial authors to the theorization of racism and oppression, the book demonstrates the pertinence of postcolonial and decolonial thought for critical social psychology and psychoanalysis via an investigation of a series of key topics. It explores the psychology of embodiment and racialization, resistance strategies to oppression, "extra-discursive" facets of racism, the phobogenic and sexual dimensions of anti-Blackness, and the roles of desire, fantasy, and unconscious in ideologies of racism. The book makes a distinctive contribution through discussing the work of authors drawn from anti-apartheid, psychoanalytic, and critical social theory traditions, including Steve Biko, J.M. Coetzee, Frantz Fanon, Julia Kristeva, Chabani Manganyi, and Slavoj Żiżek. This second edition continues to showcase a crucial set of critical resources for an anti-racist (decolonial) agenda, and is fully updated with new discussion, references, and images, with a new chapter on desire, fantasy, and apartheid ideology to strengthen the book’s engagement with apartheid racism.

This is an invaluable text not only for students of critical social psychology, psychoanalysis, and sociology, but for students enrolled in courses on race, racism, or decolonial studies. It will also appeal to postgraduates, academics, and anyone interested in psychoanalysis in relation to societal and political issues.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032308012
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	04/08/2025
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	282
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Derek Hook is professor in the Department of Psychology at Duquesne University, United States, and an extraordinary professor of psychology at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. He is a scholar and a practitioner of psychoanalysis with expertise in the areas of Lacanian psychoanalysis, post-colonial theory (the work of Frantz Fanon in particular), the psychology of racism, and philosophical and theoretical psychology.

Table of Contents

Contents

List of figures

Foreword

Preface

Introduction: What can psychology learn from Frantz Fanon?

1. Fanon, Biko, Black Consciousness: Resources for a critical decolonial psychology

2. Abjection as a political factor: Racism and the "extra-discursive"

3. Fanon’s decolonial psychoanalysis

4. Desire, fantasy, and apartheid ideology

5. The "real" of racializing embodiment

Editorial Reviews

'…a powerful articulation of a critical psychoanalytic decolonial theory of racism. Fanon, Psychoanalysis, and Critical Decolonial Psychology will be indispensable for students and academics working around issues of race, social psychoanalysis, critical psychology and psychosocial studies.' - Stephen Frosh

'An innovative and productive account of the role of the sexual, bodily and visceral realms of desire, fantasy and affect underpinning the dynamics of post-colonial racism.' - Catherine Campbell, London School of Economics

'Fanon, Psychoanalysis, and Critical Decolonial Psychology is unprecedented in its depth and nuance. It is certain to appeal to anyone interested in critical psychology and social psychoanalysis, and for anyone interested in the psychology of apartheid it is essential reading.' - Ross Truscott, University of Leeds

'There are a few good studies on psychoanalysis and racism, but this is an innovative text that stands alone, defining new lines of research while addressing contemporary social issues, foregrounding Fanon in this timely new edition. - Ian Parker, Honorary Professor of Education, University of Manchester, UK

'The second edition of Derek Hook's Fanon, Psychoanalysis, and Critical Decolonial Psychology: The Mind of Apartheid offers a profound exploration of racialized embodiment and affect through a psychoanalytic lens. This compelling work navigates the ideas of Frantz Fanon, Steve Biko, Slavoj Žižek, and Julia Kristeva, among others, while grounded by a sharp historical sensitivity to the lingering impact of colonial politics in post-apartheid South Africa. Groundbreaking in its theoretical scope and incisive in its historical analysis, this reissue underscores the enduring relevance of psychoanalysis in understanding the complexities of race and coloniality. A timely and essential contribution to critical psychology, postcolonial studies, and contemporary psychoanalysis of the more critical vein more broadly given its current decolonial interests.' - Ahmad Fuad Rahmat, Assistant Professor of Media and Digital Cultures, Nottingham University, Malaysia

From the Publisher