Aimé Césaire: conexões transatlânticas, intelectualidade e críticas contra coloniais na obra O discurso sobre o colonialismo (1950)

Abstract

This research proposes a critical analysis of the transatlantic connections and countercolonial criticisms present in Aimé Césaire's “Discourse on Colonialism (1950)”. The source analyzed is a 1950 work in which the author presents a proposed counter-colonial narrative related to the process of French colonization and its contemporary implications, notably racism. Aimé Césaire was an intellectual man of letters who criticized the arguments of a large part of the Western intelligentsia. The research investigates the context of Martinique's colonization process, the locus of Césaire's enunciation, as well as exploring the biographical aspects that influenced his intellectual production. It explores the emergence of counter-hegemonic knowledges based on the experiences of colonized peoples, which challenge dominant historical narratives and open up space for indigenous criticism, black thought and decolonial and counter-colonial theories. A detailed analysis of Discourse on Colonialism shows the influence of Marxism on Césaire's critique, highlighting his denunciations of the contradictions of Western modernity and his role in deconstructing colonial narratives. The study also investigates the reception of the work in Brazil, highlighting how its anti-colonial legacy continues to inspire academic debates and struggles for social justice. Therefore, exploring the intersection between literature, politics and history, it reaffirms the importance of Aimé Césaire as a central figure for understanding and criticizing the colonial structures that shaped modernity.