Discourse on Colonialism - Hardcover

Césaire, Aimé

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1583670246 ISBN 13: 9781583670248

Publisher: Monthly Review Press, 2000

Synopsis

"Césaire's essay stands as an important document in the development of third world consciousness--a process in which [he] played a prominent role."
--Library Journal

This classic work, first published in France in 1955, profoundly influenced the generation of scholars and activists at the forefront of liberation struggles in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Nearly twenty years later, when published for the first time in English, Discourse on Colonialism inspired a new generation engaged in the Civil Rights, Black Power, and anti-war movements and has sold more than 75,000 copies to date.

Aimé Césaire eloquently describes the brutal impact of capitalism and colonialism on both the colonizer and colonized, exposing the contradictions and hypocrisy implicit in western notions of "progress" and "civilization" upon encountering the "savage," "uncultured," or "primitive." Here, Césaire reaffirms African values, identity, and culture, and their relevance, reminding us that "the relationship between consciousness and reality are extremely complex. . . . It is equally necessary to decolonize our minds, our inner life, at the same time that we decolonize society." An interview with Césaire by the poet René Depestre is also included.

About this title

About the Author:

A celebrated poet, novelist, and philosopher, AIMÉ CÉSAIRE is the author of several books, volumes of poetry and numerous plays, including Return to My Native Land, A Season in the Congo and an African version of Shakespeare's The Tempest.

Language Notes:

Text: English, French (translation)

About this edition

• Publisher: Monthly Review Press
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 1583670246
• ISBN 13: 9781583670248
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 102