The Long 20th Century: Assimilation and Resistance

The 1946 law of departmentalization, championed by Aimé Césaire, made Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Réunion integral parts of France. This brought French citizenship, social benefits, and infrastructure development but also new forms of cultural domination.

Césaire's Vision

"Césaire believed departmentalization would bring equality while allowing cultural specificity," explains Dr. Gary Wilder, author of "Freedom Time." "He wanted the material benefits of French citizenship without cultural assimilation. The reality proved more complex."

Césaire himself later questioned his support: "I wanted to change the status, not change the people. But France wanted to create French people with black skin."

Cultural Resistance Movements

The 1960s-1980s saw powerful cultural movements asserting Caribbean identity: - Négritude (Césaire, Léon Damas) - Antillanité (Édouard Glissant) - Créolité (Patrick Chamoiseau, Raphaël Confiant, Jean Bernabé)

"Each movement responded to specific historical moments," notes Dr. Celia Britton, a specialist in Caribbean literature. "Négritude reclaimed African identity, Antillanité emphasized Caribbean specificity, Créolité celebrated cultural mixing. All resisted French assimilation while proposing different alternatives."