Aimé Césaire’s essay, Discourse on Colonialism, accuses European colonialists of oppressing colonized peoples through racism and classism. He argues that colonialism was self-centered and not benevolent, and criticizes humanist approaches to it. Césaire believes that pre-colonial societies were more communitarian and egalitarian. The essay has been called a “declaration of war” on colonialism and continues to influence Marxist evaluations of former colonies. Neocolonialism is seen as the new form of domination by exploiting other countries economically.
Discourse on Colonialism is an essay by Aimé Césaire, Martinican politician and writer, first published in 1950. Césaire was known for his emphasis on “negritude” or the common black identity. In the essay, Césaire accuses the European colonialists of oppressing the colonized peoples through inherent racism and classism.
Césaire argued in his Discourse on Colonialism that, contrary to what some believed, colonialism was not and had never been a benevolent movement aimed at improving the lives of colonized people. Instead, he said, the settlers’ motivations were entirely self-centered: to gain wealth and glory for themselves and their countries. Motives like bringing “civilization” to the non-European world, he said, were invented later in an attempt to justify the atrocities committed by past and contemporary colonizers.
Discourse on Colonialism goes on to cite a number of writings by colonial advocates in which white races are portrayed as inherently more intelligent and civilized leaders than those of other races. Césaire criticizes “humanist” approaches to colonialism, stating that such approaches continue to deny the humanity of colonized peoples. Drawing on Marxist theory, Césaire further criticized European bourgeois and capitalist culture and claimed that capitalism would always disintegrate into Nazism.
Césaire argued that the societies of the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and other areas before colonialism were more communitarian and egalitarian than those that replaced them. He said it is possible for colonies, as well as former colonies, to move beyond the wrongs done to them and create new classless societies that will interact positively with one another. Furthermore, he warned against believing that American domination would be better than European colonization.
Because of its often harsh tone and radical statements, Discourse on Colonialism has often been called a “declaration of war” on colonialism. In the decades following the publication of Discourse on Colonialism, many colonies in Africa and Asia gained independence from Europe. Césaire’s homeland, Martinique, however, was still a French “overseas department” as of 2011. Although Martinicans are considered full French citizens and are represented in Parliament, some still object to what is seen as a foreign domain.
Following in the footsteps of Césaire, many politicians and theorists continue to evaluate the situation of the former colonies through the framework of Marxism. Some, such as Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah, argue that European countries now dominate the rest of the world through “neocolonialism” in place of the old colonial political structures. Neocolonialism is defined as the practice of exploiting other countries through economic means.
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