The Problem Of The Proletariats And The Colonial Problem

Book Review
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BOOK REVIEW
“Discourse on colonialism” is an article that is written by Aime Cesaire. The author argues that colonialism was not and was never a benevolent movement whose main objective was to improve the lives of the colonialized people. Instead, colonialists had their motives and were self-centered. Colonialism created two major problems. That is the problem of the proletariats and the colonial problem. On the other hand, the article “Playing Indian” by Philip Deloria shows the connection between the Indian and the American culture. Colonialism lacked human values and caused suffering to the people.
Question one
Discuss in your own words two or three specific assertions that Cesaire makes to argue that colonialism “decivilizes” the colonizer, by awaking him to “...buried instincts, to covetousness, violence, race hatred, and moral relativism..” Discuss your understanding of Cesaire’s argument that barbarism is the inevitable outcome of coloniality.
Cesaire asserts that colonialization and civilization have an inestimable difference. The author asserts that one of the prevailing myths of colonization was a civilizing mission from the European nations. Colonization lacks human values. Colonialization brutalizes the colonizer by making them accept acts of brutality to rule over their subjects. Cesaire also tries to compare the advocates of colonization in France to Adolf Hitler and quotes their speech to demonstrate how these colonizers operated on the assumption that they were different from the Nazi dictators. Cesaire concludes that colonization dehumanizes the colonizers. In pursuit of power, colonizers destroyed civilization. Europe eliminated the Native Americans, took their land, and natural resources. The author asserts that Europe is responsible for the highest heap of corpses in human history. The Europeans hoped that they would lead their colonies but in turn, they killed, raped, and destroyed the lands of their colonies.
One theme that stands out in this article is the theme of civilization. Throughout the essay, the author tries to undermine the definition of the western Europeans in the definition of civilization. Cesaire tries to assert that the colonial past of Western Europe has made the country uncivilized. For years Western Europe had perceived itself as civilized by colonizing the non-European citizens, they were trying to civilize them. This has been described by Cesaire as “dishonest equations Christianity, savagery paganism...” (Cesaire, 2001). Christianity is described as more civilized compared to savagery. Europe portrays itself as being more civilized than the non-Christians. The assertion of Cesaire frames missionary work and evangelism as acts of civilization and tries to justify colonialism. Cesaire asserts that the activities of the colonials de-civilizes the people and the European culture. Cesaire asserts that Colonialism de-civilizes the colonizer.
Cesaire also asserts that no one colonizes innocently. In the article Cesaire labels the colonizers as being Barbaric because of how they treated people in their colonies. Due to colonization, there was for...