Question.3951 - Write the Annotated Bibliography for your research topic
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Annotated Bibliography Asia Morgan Florida International University AFA5005/4930: African and African Diaspora Studies Theory Professor Dr. Andrea Queeley November 27th, 2024 Preliminary Bibliography Topic: Redefining the African Diaspora: A Global Perspective from the Early 2000s. Research Question: How reconceptualize the African diaspora to encompass its diverse historical and geographical dimensions, challenging the dominant Atlantic-centric framework and incorporating perspectives from various African and diasporic communities? Thomas, D. A., & Campt, T. M. (2006). Diasporic Hegemonies: Slavery, Memory, and Genealogies of Diaspora. Transforming Anthropology, 14(2), 163-172. Thomas and Campt's (2006) dialogue explores how diasporic identities are politicized and formed through cultural and historical dynamics in Liverpool and Ghana, while Jacqueline Nassy Brown analyzes Liverpool’s Black community by inter-linking racial and spatial narratives to contested diasporic identities, while Bayo Holsey analyzes Ghanaian perspectives on the African diaspora, focusing on tensions in how "homelands" are conceptualized by locals and tourists. Information from this paper integrated ethnographic datasets revealing how locations and memory space diasporic narrative that challenges the Atlantic-centric framework and fosters a multi-dimensional experience of African diasporic identities that aligns with reconceptualizing the African diaspora to possess diverse global and local perspectives. Brown, J. N. (1998). Black Liverpool, Black America, and the gendering of diasporic space. In Theories of Race and Racism (pp. 115-144). Routledge. Brown's (1998) research explores black Liverpudlians’ relationships with black America, emphasizing cultural, gendered, and historical dimensions by critiquing traditional diaspora studies’ fixation on displacement and homeland, arguing for a broader, intersectional perspective of diasporic identity. Brown (1998) also indicates how local and transnational dynamics intertwine, particularly through black Liverpool's cultural appropriation of black American influences by integrating gender and spatial analyses; it challenges Atlantic-centric narratives, proposing a model where diasporas are defined by ongoing exchanges rather than origin-based binaries; such an insight exemplifies the complex, non-linear connections within the African diaspora. Hintzen, P. C., & Rahier, J. M. (2010). Theorizing the African Diaspora: Metaphor, Miscognition, and Self-Recognition. Hintzen and Rahier's (2010) research assesses the term "African diaspora" that serves as a metaphor for black consciousness, challenging the Atlantic-centric framework by emphasizing the analytical utility of diaspora in revealing and reshaping black self-recognition within social and ideological constraints, including white supremacy. Hintzen and Rahier (2010) utilize historical instances, such as post-Holocaust European reflection, arguing that diaspora fosters universal recognition of blackness by challenging dominant hegemonies and revealing unseen dimensions of collective identity. Hintzen and Rahier (2010) improve the existing insight about the reconceptualization of diaspora through lived experiences and global interconnectedness, sustaining the research question by broadening the lens beyond geographical persistence to ideological and cultural expressions. Zeleza, P. T. (2009). African studies and universities since independence. Transition: An International Review, 110-135. Zeleza's article critiques the Eurocentric bias in African studies, highlighting the need for a more global perspective. It aligns with the research question by challenging established frameworks within the field of African studies and also assessing the interlink between cultural and historical connections between Africans and their descendants dispersed across the Atlantic world. Although my research aims to move beyond this focus, understanding Zeleza's arguments is crucial for critiquing the Atlantic-centric view, as the research provides a foundation for understanding the existing frameworks surrounding the African diaspora. Bates, R. H., Mudimbé, V. Y., & O'Barr, J. F. (Eds.). (1993). Africa and the disciplines: The contributions of research in Africa to the social sciences and humanities. University of Chicago Press. The research conducted by Bates et al. (1993) deconstructs the Atlantic-Centric Framework by emphasizing the Atlantic slave trade from a perspective that encompasses other historical migrations and geographical regions, such as the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean. Bates et al. (1993) redefines the African diaspora by assessing a complex phenomenon shaped by cultural, social, and political factors. Olson, Joel, “W.E.B. Du Bois and the Race Concept” (118-128). In examining the African American diaspora, Du Bois’s concept of race becomes pivotal to redefining its boundaries and challenging dominant frameworks. Olson's synthesis of science and propaganda, as highlighted in works like The Souls of Black Folk and Black Reconstruction, supports the research by contesting the Atlantic-centric perspective. Du Bois critiques the racial order as a social construct linked to power dynamics rather than biological inheritance, aligning with this research's goal of reconceptualizing the diaspora. Du Bois’s critique of the "white world" and his vision of the "dark world" as a force for democracy will be instrumental in addressing the geopolitical dimensions of the African diaspora, reinforcing the need to incorporate diverse diasporic perspectives across historical and geographical contexts. Hancock, Angie-Marie, “W.E.B. Du Bois: Intellectual Forefather of Intersectionality?” (74-84). The resources provided by Du Bois's works and the theory of intersectionality will serve as crucial foundations in reconceptualizing the African diaspora beyond the dominant Atlantic-centric narrative. Du Bois's critique of race, class, and gender dynamics aligns with my research's aim to explore the diaspora's diverse historical and geographical dimensions. Du Bois's recognition of "multiple yet mutually exclusive identities" parallels the notion that the African diaspora should not be understood through a singular lens, but rather through intersecting identities that vary globally. The theory of intersectionality, particularly its critique of in-group essentialism and emphasis on within-group diversity, will be instrumental in challenging the homogenization of African diasporic experiences. By employing these frameworks, my research will critically evaluate how different African diasporic communities, shaped by varying historical and cultural conditions, challenge a monolithic understanding of the diaspora, advocating for a more inclusive and complex global perspective. Irele, F. Abiola. “’What is Africa to Me?‘ Africa in the Black Diaspora Imagination” (26-46). Irele explores Du Bois's intellectual journey from American scholar to Pan-African nationalist, illustrating the complex, evolving relationship between Black Americans and their African heritage. Irele examines Du Bois’s perspective of race, culture, and nationalism, influenced by German romanticism and Herderian thought, and offers a framework for challenging the dominant Atlantic-centric view. By incorporating Du Bois’s reflections on race as a unifying political tool, my research will explore how these ideologies can reconceptualize the African diaspora, addressing both its historical roots and geographical diversity beyond traditional confines. Marable, Manning, “Reconstructing the Radical Du Bois” (1-25). Manning's study on W.E.B. Du Bois's perspective on reconceptualizing Pan-Africanism, his critical race theories, and his empirical studies of African American communities challenge the dominant Atlantic-centric framework of the African diaspora. Manning's broader analysis of race and systemic oppression allows for an inclusive interpretation of the diaspora's diverse historical and geographical dimensions. For example, Du Bois’s rigorous social science methods, including The Philadelphia Negro, provide empirical evidence that can be used to trace the multifaceted experiences of African-descended peoples beyond the Atlantic region, integrating the political, economic, and social complexities across various diasporic communities. Manning's study in terms of radical leftist ideas, often overlooked, offer a perspective that ties the struggles of African peoples globally, providing a foundation for exploring interconnectedness across regions in redefining the diaspora. Joy James, “The Future of Black Studies: Political Communities and the Talented Tenth” (153-157). Joy James critiques the elitist tendencies within academia, emphasizing the exclusion of grassroots movements and non-elite African American communities in shaping Black Studies. James's critique is invaluable for my research, as it highlights the need to incorporate diverse African diasporic voices, especially those marginalized by neoliberal and academic structures. James's concept of political community formation within Black studies provides a lens through which I can explore the intersection of political, cultural, and historical dimensions in redefining the African diaspora. By challenging the hierarchical intellectual leadership, this resource reinforces my aim to broaden the diaspora's definition, including historically overlooked perspectives from working-class and revolutionary communities across various geographical locations. Thus, it helps address the global and multifaceted nature of the African diaspora. James Jennings, “Theorizing Black Studies: The Continuing Role of Community Service in the Study of Race and Class” (177-185). In examining the African diaspora's complex historical and geographical dimensions, the incorporation of community service, as discussed in James Jennings' "Theorizing Black Studies," offers valuable insights for my research. Jennings emphasizes the importance of praxis—community engagement—as a crucial component of Black studies, interlinking societal theories with real-world challenges encountered by African and diasporic communities. Jennings's approach aligns with reconceptualizing the African diaspora beyond an Atlantic-centric framework because he integrates community experiences and civic involvement in Black studies to provide a methodological framework that will allow for a more nuanced understanding of the diaspora’s diverse social, political, and economic dimensions. Jennings's study will support my exploration of how African diasporic identities and struggles have been shaped by local conditions while still maintaining a global perspective. Jennings's praxis-oriented approach reinforces the need for a broader, more inclusive lens in redefining the African diaspora.More Articles From History