Colonialism is a system of political and economic control over another territory, one which Césaire critiques in Discourse on Colonialism. In the essay, he focuses primarily on European colonialism, which has wielded administrative and economic power over territories in Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia. While Césaire’s contemporaries commend the value of colonialism, he is highly critical of this system that he believes to cultivate widespread violence and exploitation of non-Europeans. Colonialism operates under the guise of a civilizing force where European influence can improve non-European societies that are considered less socially advanced. Césaire counters this notion by arguing that colonialism is more about control through violence and exploitation rather than contributing to another society’s social advancement. He refers to this contradiction by defining colonialism as a “bridgehead in a campaign to civilize barbarism, from which there may emerge at any moment the negation of civilization, pure and simple” (40). In his description, colonialism is a militarized effort that is never politically benign. The more Europe uses the logic of colonialism as a civilizing force, the more they propagate violence and exploitation, and therefore, becoming less civilized.

While Césaire defends the contributions of colonized territories, his essay explores European colonialist writing to define the logic behind colonialism.