Decoding Diaspora: Mapping J. A. Rogers' Mythic Africa Main Menu Table of Contents Explore and Navigate the Different Facets of the Decoding Diaspora project. Project An Introduction by Dr. Richard Newton Researchers and Community Partners Participants and Partners in Decoding Diaspora Data Access the Data for Your Own Research Essays Experimental Studies Using the Data and Interpreations Featured Here References Project Bibliography and Recommended Readings Use and Permissions Terms and Conditions Governing the Creation and Use of the Project

Interpretations

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In Reversing Sail: A History of the African Diaspora (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2020, 3), Michael A. Gomez frames the “diasporic condition” as “often an unsettled (and unsettling) experience in which the question of “belonging” is unresolved: Africa, as a land of origin, is in many ways unrecoverable; whereas it is a challenge to fully regard an oft-hostile host environment as “home.” Under such circumstances, diaspora is experienced as a continuum of liminality, along which communities and individuals — linked as much by common experience as by genetic makeup— are located at various points." Our research team has been investigating how J. A. Rogers’ has understood the points, links, and ruptures that make up this diasporic condition using the data from the Facts About the Negro gallery.
 

Map

While the African continent is crucial Rogers’ rendering of the Negro, we also see that he is just as interested in histories that take place outside of the continent. The map below pinpoints all of the locations discussed in the Facts About the Negro gallery, prompting us to ask, among other questions, what are the contours  or Rogers’ mythic Africa. Given the amount of points plotted, that applet takes a moment to load. Once loaded, you will need to bring the map into view manually.



 

Timeline

Rogers’ understanding of the significance of Negro presence is not only historical, but also prehistorical and (relative to him) contemporary. The timeline below indexes every chronological reference mentioned in the Facts About the Negro gallery to see the expanse of the diaspora through time. This applet takes a moment to load. Once it appears, scroll to the historical period of your choosing.


 

Discourse Analysis

Given that so much of the Facts About the Negro column is textual, we can use digital tools to examine trends and anomalies in how Rogers tells the story of the African diaspora. Our research team has been exploring the text corpus using the freely-available resource Voyant Tools, which you can experiment with below or here at this link.

 


Podcast

Rogers’ Facts About the Negro was designed to help Black peoples vividly imagine the story of the diaspora. Our research team has created micro-podcasts that offer a sonic signification of the text and illustrations so as to invite you to consider how others may be engaging Rogers’ work. Scroll through the podcast player to select a track, the number of which corresponds to that page in the gallery (FN-##).


3D Printing

Rogers' Facts About the Negro concretized his imagining of Africana history by buttressing texts with evocative images. The clippings in the gallery were penned by Ahmed Samuel Milai and in many cases adapted from artifacts, paintings, and other renderings. To explore and exhibit how Rogers' visualized his myth, we have begun locating 3D prints of select objects mentioned in Facts About the Negro. Soon you will be able to download the scripts and print them on a 3D printer yourself.

 


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