You must be able to DEFINE
colonization
colonialism
decolonization
 

1. Look up the terms above in a good dictionary and bring this definition in writing to class.

2. What forms—political, economic, social, cultural, linguistic—does colonialism take?

3. Historically, what were the arguments in favor of/against colonialism?

4. Is colonialism going on in the world today?

5. What could the effecs and impact of colionalism economically, politically, culturally, psychologically?
 

The first set of excerpts in your packet are part of a larger book including essays and poetry, entitled Prose and Poetry. These
selected texts represent a voice of tolerance from Sénégal, a country in francophone west Africa. Their author, Léopold Sedar
Senghor, is one of the best-known African Francophone writers and received from the French the highest distinction in cultural
matters -- membership in the exclusive Académie française, whose members are called "the Immortals." Senghor puts forth
some moderate opinions, ideas and proposals that were controversial in some ways from a certain African perspective. His
writings are selectively positive toward France at a time when many of its colonies felt adversity toward France. Compare and
contrast the tone and content with texts from Senghor’s former classmate Aimé Césaire, presented in Lecture 16.

Locate on the maps pp.212, 215, 217 from your packet the country of Senegal, which was the capital of French West Africa. What is its capital?
 

1. What does Senghor mean by “Association” and “Assimilation”? How can you link Senghor’s concepts of Association and Assimilation to the colonization and decolonization chronology that presented previously? What can/should be the relationship between French and African culture, according to Senghor?

2. In Senghor’s chapter on education, what is his attitude towards classical European languages? towards African languages? written versus oral African languages? How is he both in support of European values and African values? Why?

3.  For Senghor, what is the role of culture versus that of politics for colonized societies? Which seems to dominate, for him? In his chapter “Cultural Independence” can European workers genuinely have solidarity with colonized peoples? Why/why not?

4. “We are all cultural half castes.” What is a caste? A cultural half caste?

5. Senghor was one of the major forces behind the notion of Négritude. Synthesize from your readings and this study guide the major elements of Négritude.

6. How are Senghor’s writings relevant to contemporary questions surrounding cultural identity? How does they confirm or depart from what you’ve learned so far in this course?