Abstract: | When considering the line of development in Négritude, from collective sentiment to theory, one notices a considerable distance between the original emphasis on its historical character, and its status as an independent system of thought, as developed by Senghor in after years. After outlining the different definitions of the concept of Négritude, respectively by Sartre and Senghor, the author points to the theoretical extension of the concept by Senghor, who defined Négritude as 'the sum total of the African cultural values'. Besides, this article refers to the many objections urged against Senghor's theory, in the sense that this theory would miss too much empirical significance. Some critical marginal notes are made with regard to the background of these objections. Ref. |