Within posthuman critical theory, the advent of the Anthropocene has revived dreams of a critical and decolonial language, free of the exclusions of modernity. Through a deconstructive reading of Bruno Latour’s texts on the Anthropocene and Gaia – which constitutes one of the most clear and influential examples of this hope – this article aims to deconstruct the dream of a decolonial language. What emerges from this deconstruction is that Latour’s writings – far from being free of modernity – rather reproduces key facets of the modernity that he seeks to critique. By showcasing the intimate and paradoxical relationship between posthuman critique and the colonial power relations expressed in discourses of modernity, the article problematizes ideas of a critical language free and outside of power as well as the notion of a pure critical position that this idea presupposes. In this way, the article strives to contribute to an ongoing debate about the conditions for critical theory in a time of global climate change.