Western Modernity: The Things They Carried With Characteristics Of Humanism

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Contesting Modernities

Western Modernity contains philosophical views which are carried with characteristics of humanism, freedom, dignity and such but is still criticised and contested by thinkers such as Jean-Paul Sartre, Aimé Césaire, and Léopold Sédar Senghor. Its characteristics are seen as flawed because of its roots of colonization, hypocrisy and racism.
Jean-Paul Sartre is an existentialist thinker who contests Western Modernity as hypocritical. Humanism is often talked about and seen as an important aspect of Western Modernity but Sartre states that even though the humanism that is spoken of preaches that we are all one as humanity yet Sartre views it as setting us apart by Europeans racist methods. Humanism is after all a belief of freedom for all human beings, but it does not include everyone. …show more content…

Negritude is a philosophical movement that is against white oppression and civilisation. Césaire aimed to tell all about the wrongs of colonisation and to restore black pride. By dissenting with colonisation, he contests Western Modernity. This is done by calling out the immorality of the colonisers and their failed intentions of trying to “civilise” Africa. Civilisation and colonisation are far from each other. Civilisation cannot be achieved through colonisation. Césaire speaks on behalf of black human beings by stating that colonisation was a “thingification”, an objectification of human beings. Even the land itself is objectified as they see it for raw materials. Western Modernity is further contested as it is stated that Africa before colonisation was the classless utopian society before capitalism and such, with democratic societies always present. Colonisation made humanity take a step back: “Western man is not the man of progress I am”. Instead of moving forward and progressing towards a utopian society colonisation barricaded

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