Postcolonial melancholy

In this sharp essay, Paul Gilroy denounces the neo-imperialist pathology of the policies implemented in Western countries, sclerotic by debates on immigration, and in return proposes a model of a multicultural society. From the creation of the concept of "race" to the formation of colonial empires, the British sociologist raises some major questions of our time, and aims to bring out a real alternative to the watered-down accounts of our colonial past. By choosing to highlight the conviviality and undisciplined multiculturalism of the center of large metropolises, Paul Gilroy defends an inclusive cosmopolitan vision and pleads for the advent of a society that refuses to give in to discourse of fear and violence. By examining the invention of hierarchical categories based on the notion of race, and its terrible consequences, he demonstrates how the writings of thinkers such as Frantz Fanon, WEB Du Bois or George Orwell can further advance reflections on nationalism, postcolonialism. and racial issues. Postcolonial melancholy echoes today's postcolonial struggles for demanding critical thinking. Paul Gilroy