 The title of Coulthard’s book alludes to Black Skin, White Masks (1952), the path-breaking work by Frantz Fanon. Writing in the 1950s, Fanon challenged the abstract universalism of Western philosophy, showing how universalism serves to structure a hierarchical relationship between settler and colonized. Fanon’s critical theory challenges the assumption that European notions of progress truly advance justice and secure mutual benefit. In Black Skin, White Masks, Fanon focuses on the development of black consciousness by exploring the psychological alienation and displacement caused by colonial domination. He describes a divided self who identifies with French culture even while experiencing exclusion from the ideals of universalism, equality, and reason. Coulthard’s reading of Fanon sheds light on his view that cultural recognition by the colonial state is not a solution. Following Fanon, he concludes that paternalist recognition serves to legitimize the colonial state and further divide indigenous subjects.