Monday, December 06, 2021 | 3:00 PM | Online on Zoom
فرانز فینون: جائزہ اور افادہ
(Franz Fanon: Overview and Impact)
Frantz Fanon (1925-1961) was the first mental health professional who defined the dynamics of colonial psychology and elaborated its phenomenology from the perspective of the colonized. He ascertained the aetiology of colonialism and the interventions for this pathogenic phenomenon. As a revolutionary mental health professional, Fanon did not dissolve himself in professional neutrality. He emerged beside the colonized, pointed out the mechanisms of colonial oppression, and identified ways the colonized responded, pathologically. Fanon described dehumanization and exploitation as inherent colonial characteristics and highlighted their unfortunate impact on the oppressed, hence emerging as a spokesperson for colonized nations.
This session was organized on the day of his 60th death anniversary to discuss the relevance of his views in modern-day hyper-colonialism and to commemorate his contributions to the field of psychology. Colonialism is not what it was in Fanon’s time; it is indisputably more disguised, inexplicable, and complex now than ever before. Although the relevance of some of his views has shifted, interestingly, most of what he predicted is more visible today than it was in the 1950s.
Dr. Akhtar Ali Syed in Conversation with Dr. Nasir Abbas Nayyar
Dr. Akhtar Ali Syed did his Master’s in Applied Psychology and specialization in clinical psychology from the University of the Punjab, Lahore. He completed his training in psychotherapy from New York and his PhD from the University College Dublin. He is currently serving as the Principal Clinical Psychologist with Brothers of Charity, Waterford (Ireland). Dr. Syed originated the eidetic model of growth—a model of psychotherapy for people with intellectual disability (ID). His upcoming work on evolving colonialism offers an elucidation of the sociopolitical situation in Pakistan. He attempts to understand the fragmented Pakistani society through the colonial studies paradigm.
Dr. Nasir Abbas Nayyar is an Urdu writer, critic, columnist and essayist. He has written books on poetry, literary theory and post-colonial study of Urdu literature. He has produced some important books on structuralism, post-modernism and their influence on Urdu literature. Currently, he is the Head of Publications at the Gurmani Center for Languages and Literature and teaches courses in Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies at LUMS.