Assesses European and French colonialism in the Caribbean from the 16th century and the racial and cultural movements of black and mixed-race people in the French-speaking West Indies and Guyane that emerged in the 19th century and first half of the 20th century. Contrasts the proponents for and against assimilation to the political and social constructs of France. Rare excerpts from the issue of L"Etudiant Noir Journal Mensuel de l"Association des Etudiants Martiniquais en France (The Black Student Journal ...) where Aimé Césaire first used the word Negritude and the previously unpublished poetry of Léon Damas are important focal points of the author"s historical analysis and literary criticism.