Welcome to this seminar series organised by Mad in South Asia, in collaboration with Duquesne University.

This seminar explores Frantz Fanon’s insights into the psychic impact of colonial violence. Across key moments in his work—such as the Manichean delirium of the colonial context—Fanon shows how psychosis is never far from the surface. While his concept of sociogeny is often cited for linking social and historical forces to mental life, this session focuses on how colonial settings function as ‘pathology multipliers’ in the production of trauma and what have been called ‘colonial psychoses.’

We will consider scenes from ‘Black Skin, White Masks’, ‘A Dying Colonialism’, and ‘The Wretched of the Earth’ to explore how racist structures push subjectivity toward rupture. We’ll also reflect on the role of affect in Fanon’s account of decolonial dis-alienation. 

About the Speakers:

Dr. Leswin Laubscher, Associate Professor, Dept. of Psychology, Duquesne University, USA; Extraordinary Professor, Dept. of Psychology, University of the Western Cape, South Africa.

Dr. Laubscher brings extensive clinical, teaching, and research expertise from both the U.S. and South Africa. With a Ph.D. from Northwestern University and a background from the University of the Western Cape, his work investigates the intersection of culture and psychology—especially focusing on apartheid, postcolonial thought, and the influence of thinkers like Derrida, Levinas, and Fanon. His recent publications include Levinas for Psychologists (2024), Fanon, Phenomenology, and Psychology (2021) and contributions to Darkest Before Dawn examining the life and thought of Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe.

Dr. Derek Hook, Professor, Department of Psychology, Duquesne University, USA; Extraordinary Professor, Dept. of Psychology, University of Pretoria, South Africa.

An internationally recognized scholar in Lacanian psychoanalysis, critical psychology, and postcolonial studies, Dr. Hook holds a Ph.D. from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Master’s degree in creative writing from the University of London. At Duquesne, he has received multiple awards, including the President’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Teaching. A prolific author, he has written Foucault, Psychology and the Analytics of Power (2007), A Critical Psychology of the Postcolonial (2011), among others, and co-edited books on communication and apartheid memory. He co-edited Darkest Before Dawn with Dr. Laubscher, focusing on the writings and life of Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe.

Date: Sunday, August 10th, 2025

Time: 6:00 PM IST / 8:30 AM EST.

Duration: 1 hour (40 minutes of presentation, 20 minutes of conversation)