Philosophie et colonialisme chez Anquetil-Duperron

Anquetil-Duperron was one of the main critics of Montesquieu’s concept of despotism, a tenacious opponent of eurocentrism and an unconventional exponent of anticolonial thought in the Enlightenment. He questioned the philosophical use of travel literature and also denounced that philosophy can be an instrument of conquest, grounding colonization’s image of the world. This article focuses on the original relationship that his works disclosed between colonialism and philosophy.