Lecturer to focus on African Diaspora

In honor of Black History Month, the Institute for Humanities Research (IHR) African Diaspora Research Cluster invites the ASU community to attend a lecture titled “The African Diaspora: A Global Process” by New York University professor Michael Gomez starting at 7 p.m., Feb. 21, in Coor Hall room L1-74. The event is co-sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the African and African-American Studies Program, and the Department of History.

The IHR Research Cluster (www.asu.edu/clas/ihr/faculty/research/), titled “The African Diaspora: New Paradigms and New Boundaries” was formed in September and continues to meet monthly to study the experience of peoples of African ancestry, to encourage educational inquiry, and to advance a wide range of inter- and transdisciplinary approaches for the theory and practice of diasporic studies.

Gomez is chair of the Department of History at NYU and director of the Study of the Worldwide African Diaspora (ASWAD). His interests cover a wide range of themes, including the African Diaspora, social and religious formations, and slavery and ethnic designations. His most recent books include “ Black Crescent : African Muslims in the Americas ” (Cambridge University Press, 2005); “Reversing Sail: A History of the African Diaspora” (Cambridge University Press, 2005) and “Diasporic Africa: A Reader” (New York University Press, 2006).

The lecture is free and open to the public.