Blackness in writing: The black existence in Conceição Evaristo and Frantz Fanon

Abstract

The experience of blackness is silenced in a multitude of areas in face of coloniality, among them literature and hegemonic psychology. This study had as objective to analyze in Conceição Evaristo’s work the expression of black experiences and establish a dialogue with Frantz Fanon. This choice was made given Evaristo’s proposition of Escrevivência, which mixes reality and fiction, focusing on the black existence. A content analysis was conducted following the procedures of Bardin, the material selected was the book “Olhos D’Água”. For the analysis it was utilized the theoretical framework of Fanon, that studied the impacts of colonialism and racism to the black psyche, along with Phenomenological-Existential Psychology and decolonial thought. The analysis evidenced five thematic categories: 1. Appreciation of Black Ancestry; 2. Projections for a Future; 3. Subalternity of the Black Person; 4. Objectification of the Black and 5. The Place of the Black Woman. Those allowed the establishment of significative points of convergence between Evarito’s writing and Fanon’s propositions, unveiling the damnation imposed to the black existence. The relevance of a professional conduct that is mindful of the particularities and consequences of those experiences on the black population is highlighted.