Glissant and diaspora studies

Although an increasingly influential figure in the field of postcolonial studies, Edouard Glissant is not commonly associated with discussions of diaspora-related issues. This article seeks to identify areas of overlap between Glissantian thought and the diaspora studies field. Modern-day Caribbean citizens may not be diasporans in the strict sense of the term, but the legacy of the forced diasporization of Africans via the slave trade is such that the diasporic as a prism lies at the heart of the social history of the Caribbean, and this focus underpinned the work of Glissant throughout his career. In this article, areas of reciprocity are also charted between later Glissantian concepts and a number of key concepts which have been elaborated by diaspora studies theorists since the 1990s.