The practice of the diaspora!

Brent Hayes Edwards' book The Practice of Diaspora: Literature, Translation, and the Rise of Black Internationalism (2003) deals with the transnational black culture of the 1920s and 1930s. It pays particular attention to the lines of connection between intellectuals in New York and their Francophone colleagues in Paris. Edwards postulates that diaspora is less a historical condition and more a series of practices: the claims, disputes, and collaborative productions through which black intellectuals create a variety of international alliances. Edwards sheds light on how the diaspora functions by tracing the development of the rich transnational black stock of printed matter during the interwar period and examining the connections and exchange between New York-based publications and Parisian magazines. Based on the evaluation of a remarkably diverse archive, The Practice of Diaspora deals with the sometimes fundamentally different ways in which race was constructed across all national borders and linguistic differences.

Edwards' keynote speech reflects the dynamism and influence of the Nardal Sisters' Salon, with a focus on its function as a meeting place for people from the diaspora and intercultural mediation. Together with researchers and community organizers Maisha-Maureen Auma and Sónia Vaz Borges, Edwards is thinking about contemporary forms of salooning, which must constantly address questions of race and class membership. The discussion will be moderated by Eric Otieno Sumba, editor and curator of publishing practices at HKW.