Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses a fine line between the application of Frantz Fanon’s clinical work and his phenomenological-existential discourse on the lived experience of human beings in situs. Fanonian revolutionary theory and practice is privileged with enduring engagements with Italian postwar discourses in radical social science and humanities. The book considers how the ideas of Fanon can be used to promote cultural safety within Australian and Torres Strait mainstream mental health services. It utilizes Fanon’s ideas as a strategy to prompt mental health nurses to critically reflect on the imbalances in power and social equality inherent in healthcare delivery to indigenous populations. Fanon’s hope for mankind is a useful starting point for any study of man and particularly one that addresses social and cultural influences in human behavior with specific references to psychopathology.