Keynote Lecture “African Diaspora Studies on Europe: Some Concluding Reflections on Conceptual Frameworks”

How could and should African diasporas in Europe be conceptualised? In the journal article, "On Conceptualising African Diasporas in Europe", I distinguish between three broad ways of conceptualising African diasporas in Europe: as continental groups, cultural groups or racial groups. African Diaspora Studies as it arose in the US is often centred on an understanding of African diasporas as both racial and cultural groups with a focus on their racial and cultural identities. This is also true of the past decades of African Diaspora Studies on Europe. In the journal article I make an argument for a broad socio-political conceptualisation of Black African diasporas in Europe that includes, but goes beyond, matters of identity and culture. In this concluding keynote talk I will expand on and bring into question this framework by reflecting on the papers and discussions of the workshop as well as recent scholarship on how to theorize African diasporas.

If you would like to attend all or parts of the workshop, please register your interest by emailing
Jie Zhang (zhang@mmg.mpg.de).