in Latin American and Caribbean Ethnic Studies
Quesada, Sarah. “An Inclusive ‘Black Atlantic’: Revisiting Historical Creole Formations”
Latin American and Caribbean Ethnic Studies 10.2 (2015), pp. 226-246
Creolization accounts are richly diverse as they are multifaceted. During the era of the Slave Trade, they were ever more unique. However, its mutually reinforcing nature and complexity across the Atlantic World have remained relatively unexplored until recently. Creole formation was nevertheless ubiquitously taking place as much in the New World as in Africa prior to the enslaved forced migration. Informed by historical debates on such cases, this article revisits constructions of cultural structures and their alterations throughout the Transatlantic Diaspora that lead to a better understanding of identity claims to an ‘African heritage.’ This article builds on the contact with certain synchronisms, but through new views of creole formations, I underscore the importance of African studies and African American studies working conjointly to foster a better understanding of Atlantic World History.