Brent Hayes Edwards, " The Practice of Diaspora" (Book Note)

 

While the trans-Atlantic connections between Africa, Europe, and the Americas have long been a subject of study, the recent resurgence in interest, particularly among younger scholars, can be largely attributed to the impact of Paul Gilroy's seminal work, "The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double-Consciousness" (1993). As a sociologist trained in cultural studies, Gilroy argued for a diasporic model of cultural connection to comprehend the similarities and differences among black communities around the Atlantic. His work proposed the concept of "counter-modernity," challenging Western humanism and its institutions. While Gilroy's argument was both exciting and frustrating, particularly for its lack of empirical engagement, it played a pivotal role in reshaping the history of the Atlantic world.

 

"The Practice of Diaspora" by Brent Hayes Edwards situates itself between the theoretical and empirical approaches. Edwards, a literary scholar, focuses on contemporary cultural debates with a specific historical goal: to recover and analyze the trans-Atlantic relationships that developed among black intellectuals during the interwar period. Unlike Gilroy, Edwards adopts a more chronologically focused and empirically grounded approach, emphasizing Paris and the Francophone world. His methodology emphasizes language, translation, and the role of literary work in creating linkages and a common black sensibility in the Atlantic world, using sources such as journals, anthologies, and book prefaces to demonstrate that black internationalism was a tangible outcome of correspondence, translation, and other written practices.

 

In Chapter 1, Edwards discusses his sources and method, highlighting his commitment to "anti-abstractionist uses of diaspora" and introducing the notion of "ddcalage" to interpret how diaspora functions, emphasizing the disjuncture of time and distance inherent in any understanding of diaspora. Chapter 2 explores the correspondence between Rend Maran, the Martinican poet, and Alain Locke, the African-American writer and critic. Their relationship, sparked by Maran's influential work "Batouala," reveals the complexities of being black, a French citizen, and a colonial administrator in Africa. Chapter 3 delves into the life of Paulette Nardal, a Martinican in Paris who founded the bilingual journal "La Revue du monde noir" and hosted a weekly salon for black university students and visiting writers from Harlem, adding a significant gender dimension to Edwards's historical analysis.

 

In Chapter 4, the focus shifts to a detailed exploration of a single text, Claude McKay's novel "Banjo" (1929). Set in the port city of Marseilles and depicting black workers and drifters, Edwards discusses the novel's significance in creating a view of vagabond internationalism. Despite its promise of a black cosmopolitanism from below, this vision remains unfulfilled. Chapter 5 extends the proletarian theme by examining the collaboration between George Padmore and Tiemoko Garan Kouyaté through their connections with the Soviet Comintern. This final chapter intertwines black internationalism, anticolonialism, and Marxist-Leninism.

 

Kouyaté, born in Segu, Mali, emerges as a fascinating figure, expressing his wish to C. L. R. James that "Trotsky was a black man." Kouyaté's story becomes an allegory for activist-intellectuals, characterized by piercing ideas and imaginative effort but lacking institutional support. Edwards poignantly notes the fragility of connections, such as a momentary possibility of collaboration between Kouyaté and W. E. B. Du Bois that remains unrealized.

 

The detailed insight and verve that Edwards brings to this history reveal a conceptual and empirical richness uncommon in similar studies. While familiar figures like Du Bois, James, and Garvey make appearances, Edwards's committed exploration of lesser-known figures like Maran, Nardal, and Kouyaté adds excitement to the study. Even figures like Nguyen Ai Quoc (later Ho Chi Minh) are present through their relationships with Lamine, Senghor, and others in the Union Intercoloniale.

 

Some historians may have reservations about "The Practice of Diaspora." It reads more like a series of essays than a sequence of chronological chapters, with occasional digressions into conceptual discussions that might feel dense with names and jargon. Additionally, the concept of "décalage," while causal, is not fully developed as a historical theory. The focus remains on "publication" history rather than "event" history, and a broader pattern beyond these tenuous links may not fully materialize.