Fanons Three Stages Related To The Indigenous People Of Chiapas :: essays research papers

Fanons Three Stages Related to the Indigenous People of Chiapas     The passage Shadows of Tender insaneness by Subcom earthder Marcos of theZapatista Army explains that the people of Chiapas are currently facing a periodof revolution. The Zapatista army (consisting of Chiapian campesinos) has risento combat the intolerant system of burdensomeness by the Mexican government and hasattempted to create a break in lifestyle for the campesinos of Chiapas. FrantzFanons three stages to national horticulture assimilation, self discovery, andrevolution, relate to the campaign of the campesinos of Chiapas. In the last500 long time, the indigenous people of Chiapas have set about all three of Fanansstages during their struggle for the development of a national culture.     Five-hundred years ago when the first Europeans came in contact with theMayan Indians, the first stage of Fanons theory, assimilation, beganformalizing. without history the colo nizers of Mexico were moretechnologically advanced than the natives. The Europeans had guns, cannons andmassive ships. Not barely did these possessions enable them to have greater bruteforce, but it took the white man to the level of the gods in the eyes of thenatives. The colonizers could easily take advantage of this reverence. Fanonstates "The resolution consciously sought by colonialism was to drive into thenatives heads the idea that if the settlers were to leave, they would at at oncefall back into barbarism, degradation, and bestiality."(Fanon 211) Thecolonizers, believing the natives were savages that needed enlightenment, forcedEuropean culture upon them. The Europeans believed that to assimilate thenatives to European culture was to help them progress. Therefore, to return tothe old ways would have been regressing. When the natives objected to theforced assimilation, the colonizers smothered the rebellious efforts withstronger, more lethal weapons. Fanon compar es the colonizer to a mother whorestrains her "perverse" child so that he leave not commit suicide.(Fanon 211)The analogy implies that the colonized must be defend (by the colonizer) fromself-destruction. In the minds of the European colonizers, this idea ofprotection justified forcing assimulation onto the natives.Although the native campesinos (the distressing people of Chiapas) haventfully assimulated, they have adopted particular aspects of European and indicateday Mexican culture. The campesinos have learned the Spanish language and linked the catholic religion. An example of Fanons first phase is when thecolonizer tries to calm the angry, despicable and exploited colonized people bypromising social reform.(Fanon 207) These reforms see to it things such asemployment, welfare and education. According to Fanon, the government rarelyfollows through with pledged social reform. They find it easier to simply