Paths to Decolonization in the French Caribbean: Aimé Césaire and Frantz Fanon

Abstract

In the Caribbean, national independence traditionally meant formal de-colonization. However, the French Caribbean opted for integration rather than separation from France. Did Martinique and Guadaloupe accept the persistence of colonialism by refusing to gain sovereignty? Although it might seem so, the decision to be integrated within the French departmental system in 1946 stemmed from a longer political history of competing ideas regarding citizenship. In order to better understand this choice and its limits, historical and cultural developments will be explored by referring in broad terms to the thought of two Martinicans: Aimé Césaire and Frantz Fanon.