Frantz Fanon: Gender, Torture and the Biopolitics of Colonialism

by Azzedine Haddour

Overview

‘Haddour is a foremost interpreter of Fanon – and here sheds important new light on this critical giant of the twentieth century, challenging the assumptions of many postcolonial readers’ Judith Still, Emeritus Professor, University of Nottingham

‘Few works have more creatively and comprehensively explored Fanon’s perspective on gender relations, the family, and women’s resistance to sexual violence ... Outstanding’ Peter Hudis, author of Frantz Fanon: Philosopher of the Barricades

‘A meticulously researched analysis’ Jane Hiddleston, author of Frantz Fanon: Literature and Invention

Frantz Fanon (1925-1961) was a visionary thinker whose legacy continues to shape conversations on identity, power and resistance. Here, leading Fanon scholar Azzedine Haddour explores themes of gender, revolutionary struggle and decolonisation in the first comprehensive study of Fanon’s lesser-known work, Studies in a Dying Colonialism (1959).

Drawing on archival material, the author explores the historical developments that determined the colonial consensus and the social transformation prompted by the Algerian liberation struggle. Haddour engages with the biopolitics of French colonialism to support Fanon’s claim that the medical establishment acted in complicity with colonialism. He recounts various assimilationist laws that resulted in the gendering of colonial space and shows how the wars alter the perception of the colonised population through modern Western technologies like the radio.

In an era where global struggles for independence and self-determination persist, this book is a fascinating new journey into the mind of a groundbreaking philosopher and icon of revolution.

Azzedine Haddour is Professor in Francophone and Comparative Literature at University College London. He is the author of Frantz Fanon, Postcolonialism and the Ethics of Difference and Colonial Myths: History and Narrative, editor of The Fanon Reader, and translator of a collection of Sartre’s essays, Colonialism and Neocolonialism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781786808325
Publisher:	Pluto Press
Publication date:	06/20/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Azzedine Haddour is Professor in Francophone and Comparative Literature at University College London. He is the author of Frantz Fanon, Postcolonialism and the Ethics of Difference (MUP, 2019) and Colonial Myths: History and Narrative (MUP, 2001), editor of The Fanon Reader (2006), translator of a collection of Sartre’s essays, Colonialism and Neocolonialism (Routledge 2001 and Routledge Classics 2006) and author of various articles on Fanon and postcolonial theory.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. Colonisation Medicine and Colonial Biopolitics

2. Torture Unveiled: Rereading Fanon and Bourdieu in the Context of May 1958

3. The Battle of the Veil and of the Waves: Colonial and Anti-Colonial Radio Transmission

4. Republic of Cousins or Citizens

5. The Uses of Medicine: Colonial and Revolutionary

6. Torture and Gender: Interrogation, Resettlement and Pacification

7. Fanon, the French Liberal Left and the Colonial Consensus

Conclusion

Editorial Reviews

'Few works have more creatively and comprehensively explored Fanon’s perspective on gender relations, the family, and women’s resistance to sexual violence. It provides an outstanding examination of the historical and political circumstances that shaped his least discussed book, Studies in a Dying Colonialism'
Peter Hudis, author of Frantz Fanon: Philosopher of the Barricades

'Haddour is a foremost interpreter of Fanon - and here sheds important new light on this critical giant of the twentieth century by focusing on his radical, sadly neglected Studies in a Dying Colonialism, challenging the assumptions of many postcolonial readers'
Judith Still, Emeritus Professor of French and Critical Theory, University of Nottingham

'A meticulously researched analysis looking beyond Fanon’s most frequently read works on Algerian society under French colonialism and during the War of Independence. Azzedine Haddour explores Fanon’s analyses of gender, the family, medicine, and the use of torture, complementing Fanon’s own writing with a wealth of historical information illuminating the devastating impact of French colonial policy on the Algerian people'
Jane Hiddleston, author of Frantz Fanon: Literature and Invention

From the Publisher