Internal colonization and racism: the experience of non-hegemonic women in Mexico City, from the perspective of Frantz Fanon

Abstract

In 1952, Frantz Fanon published Black Skin, White Masks, in which he developed one of his most significant contributions to the study of colonialism. In his work, Fanon explains how the racism/colonialism dichotomy functions and its impact on society and the colonized subject, showing us the effects on their self-esteem and perception. His contributions remain relevant to the study of colonialism today. Therefore, this research note aims to examine the impact of colonialism on Mexican society, particularly on women in Mexico City, integrating some of Fanon’s contributions into the Mexican context, and highlighting the impact of colonialism in Mexico City. Like other categories within social studies, racism and colonialism play a crucial role in the study of society. If we add the category of gender to this, we can ask ourselves the following questions: Can Fanon’s theory account for Latin American reality? And, most interestingly for me: Can the experience of Latin American women be understood in light of the articulation between beauty, internal colonialism, and racism?