The next chapter explores the role of Africans in the Bible and how these roles and experiences have shaped African identities since the writing of that tome. Beginning his study in ancient Egypt with the origins of the African Diaspora in 3500-1700 BCE, Gomez examines the dissemination of African ideas and their influence on the Mediterranean world, clearly demonstrating the indebtedness of ancient civilizations such as Greece and Rome to Africa and Africans. Part 1, 'Old World Dimensions,' explores various aspects of the African Diaspora prior to European contact with the Americas. Gomez stays true to the target audience by offering a simply structured text composed of two parts. The 'Suggestions for Further Readings' add to the text's value, making Reversing Sail an important resource for graduate students interested in the African Diaspora, or compiling an exam reading list.

He introduces undergraduate students to basic concepts in the study of the African Diaspora, such as identity formation, cultural exchange, the idea of Africa as a land of origin, slave experiences, the importance of race, confrontations with oppression, and the continued symbolic importance of Africa to persons of African descent. Yet Gomez manages to boil down a complex concept into a few simple phrases packed with meaning. There is nothing new in this definition of the African Diaspora.

One example is how thoroughly Gomez defines the African Diaspora, 'the massive movements and extensive relocations, over long periods of time, resulting in the dispersal of Africans and their descendants throughout much of the world' (p. Reversing Sail navigates the substantial historiography on the African Diaspora, providing basic definitions of key concepts and capturing the essence of the field. Gomez fulfills this goal admirably by presenting a concise, well-organized and clearly written account of the development of the African Diaspora from ancient times to the Cold War. As editor Martin Klein of the University of Toronto notes, the 'aim of the series is to stimulate debate, to challenge students and general readers' (title page). Reversing Sail is Michael Gomez's contribution to the series New Approaches to African History, published by Cambridge University Press. Fortin (History Department, University of New Hampshire) Reversing Sail: A History of the African Diaspora.Ĭambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005.

Michael gomez reversing sail