African Diaspora Theory: Here, There, and Everywhere

Abstract

Although the term ‘African Diaspora’ seems relatively new, a number of twentieth century scholars have utilized a diasporic framework to explain the commonalities among people of African descent around the world. While the earliest scholars did not use the term African Diaspora to describe the communities that were dispersed from Africa and germinated in the New World, modern scholars have consistently used the analytical concept. Many intellectuals and other scholars, from the social sciences through the humanities, link the black experience around the world using a diasporic framework. They explicitly categorize the identity communities created out of the enslaved experience as one of African Diaspora identity formation, and they are building consensus for using the framework to describe the commonalities among black communities in today’s global world. In simple terms, diaspora as a concept can be defined as the identity community that is formed when people move. However, this multivalent concept has been anything but simply defined. This essay will highlight the competing attempts at theorizing the African Diaspora, from its earliest proponents to its more contemporary cultural studies adherents.