Discourse on Colonialism Summary
Césaire, Aimé and Pinkham, Joan

Discourse on Colonialism Overview

Discourse on Colonialism, written by Martinique poet Aimé Césaire and translated from the French by Joan Pickham, contains Césaire’s analysis of colonialism and civilization. While many colonialists have argued that colonized Asian, African and Latin American populations are uncivilized, Césaire inverts this logic to show that Western Europe is itself barbaric for its exploitation and oppression of non-European peoples. This work includes themes such as civilization, racism, and capitalism.