Crossing The Black Atlantic: Jon Sensbach, Paul Gilroy, and the Historiography of Colonial Black America
Keywords:
historiography, colonial black America, Jon Sensbach, Paul Gilroy, black Atlantic, double-consciousnessAbstract
This article analyzes the historiography of colonial black America through the works of Jon Sensbach and Paul Gilroy. It examines how W.E.B. Du Bois' concept of double-consciousness laid the foundation for modern racial theory, emphasizing the dual identity of African Americans as both American and Negro. The paper explores Sensbach's call to action in the early 1990s for historians to investigate the African presence in early America, highlighting the need for a cross-cultural approach to understanding black colonial experiences. Additionally, the article argues that Paul Gilroy's concept of the 'black Atlantic' revolutionized scholarly conceptions of race and diasporic identity. The study investigates how Gilroy's theory complicates Du Bois' definition by incorporating elements such as nationality, ethnicity, and cultural mutation. Key findings include the significance of the slave ship as a symbolic representation of African bondage and a tool for understanding race and culture. The article demonstrates the enduring impact of Sensbach's and Gilroy's works on the field of American history.
(The abstract and keywords were prepared retrospectively for indexing purposes using AI-assisted tools and editorial review, based on the original article. They did not appear in the original publication.)
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