Study Object Room

Zainab Haidary is a mixed media artist, writer, and filmmaker. She earned a BFA at the University of Art, Kabul, Afghanistan (2013) and a Diploma at Hochschule für Künste Bremen, Germany (2019).

Zainab selected a portion of Frantz Fanon's "The Wretched of the Earth" for this room.

Read along, download a PDF.

Play - / -

In "Colonial Violence and Mental Disorders", Fanon discusses the pathologies which result from colonial repression, through a series of case studies observed in his capacity as a psychiatrist in Algeria from 1954 to 1959, during the Algerian War of Independence. This text includes material which may be difficult or triggering, including physical violence, sexual violence and trauma.

This PDF contains the introduction and first series of case studies discussed by Fanon unabridged. We have chosen to only read aloud from the introduction to the chapter and Cases 2, 3 & 4 from Series A, which are highlighted in yellow on the PDF.

On this website and, in the real time conversations, we invite everyone to join in the reading and dialogue and to do so with an eye towards liberation and a generous respect for each other.

The room is small and intimate, but open to anyone who is interested. Sign up for the reading and conversation on August 20, 2020 (18:00 UK/19:00 DE), instructions are available here.

These conversations are open, and not limited by time or place. Anyone can contribute to the room's notes. Add your response to the text below. Reply to previous comments or topics, or suggest a new direction.

Thanks for joining us.