Freedom Time

The author analyzes the political thought of Senghor and Césaire by ‘unthinking’ traditional views of the two men. His goal is to ‘think with them’ in order to understand how they attempted to reconfigure rather then eliminate ‘imperial domination.’ Senghor proposed a federal relationship with France that would be “much higher than independence.” His utopian project contrasted with Césaire’s more realistic goal of creating equality through departmentalization, a project undermined very early by the French government. Although their programs for self-determination without state authority were untimely, Wilder argues that it is essential to take a more nuanced approach to their thinking that goes beyond stereotypes. TH