Sociological Study of the African Diaspora

There is an abundant amount of contemporary literature that discusses the idea of ?diaspora? but such discussions usually are lodged within political and economic realities confronted by any migrating national and/or ethnic groupings. There also is literature that uses the language of diaspora and explores particular populations as examples of the phenomenon. However, there is much less literature that rigorously explores the definition of diaspora and how it does or does not differ from the idea of migration. Similarly, little if any literature examines theoretical propositions concerning the African Diaspora as put forth by sociologist Ruth Simms Hamilton. This paper engages Hamilton’s four theoretical propositions, emphasing characteristics of the African Diaspora as a distinct global phenomenon and putting forth a useful typology. The hope is that such a systematic discussion can benefit the discipline of sociology given that the plethora of usages of diaspora language has almost rendered it ineffective as a concept for thorough academic explorations.