The Symbolistic Christology in Frantz Fanon's Existentialist Thought

Abstract

This article attempts to answer a provocative question: Can existentialist thought provide insights into the nature of Christ? Specifically, what might we learn about Christ from existentialist such as Frantz Fanon, even if only implicitly? In offering a response to the question, I propose a symbolistic Christology through an examination of Fanon's Black Skin, White Masks, focusing on his triadic motif: “A Black is not a man” (the nonbeing or dead self), “I wanted to be a man” (the grievable self), and “I am a man” (the resurrected self). It argues that Fanonian existential thought offers a critical and constructive lens for learning something new about Christ, not by imposing Christological frameworks onto Fanon, but by allowing Fanon's insights to illuminate Christological discourse. This interpretive movement—“from” Fanon toward Christology—creates space for a more dynamic and contextually engaged theological reflection, challenging traditional doctrinal approaches and opening new possibilities for understanding Christ's significance in the context of human struggle for liberation and humanization.