Methodological dimensions of the Black Atlantic: revisiting Paul Gilroy’s work

Abstract

This article seeks to consider the idea of the Black Atlantic, popularized by Paul Gilroy, as a methodological tool in two dimensions: as a unit of analysis and as a paradigm. I propose that, in addition to the theoretical debate in the author’s work, methodological aspects of this idea are seldom systematized. These elements could be mobilized in analyses of the black diaspora, with the purpose of observing contexts and issues that are different from those originally observed by Gilroy. First, I discuss the Black Atlantic as a unit of analysis taking into account the criticisms and reformulations regarding two gaps in the original formulation of this unit: the gender dimension and the role of Africa in the formation processes of the black diaspora. Second, I seek to consider the Black Atlantic as an analytical paradigm that encourages analyses that take into account the role of hegemony and imperialism in this unity and the importance of observing the political dimension, as well as the aesthetic, in the processes that occur in the diaspora.