Conceiving of Diaspora

The African dispora is a historical phenomenon of almost unfathomable scale, involving millions of people, multiple continents, and half a millenium of human history. This grand human event, however, was comprised of countless smaller diasporas. Every slave ship, every port, every planation was a diaspora unto itself.
My understanding of diaspora is essentially an exploration of how the individual movements of particular Africans to particular places and particular community and cultural formations shaped the history of Africa, the Americas, and Europe. This is a story of deep personal stories and large-scale historical processes. The tension between these two modes of discussion, and the necessity to not lose the human in the discussion of hemispheric movements are central to how I conceive of diaspora.
Having encountered Herskovitz and Gomez in prior courses I am familiar with their approach to the stduy of the African Diaspora and their work has shaped my understanding. The piece by White, however, reminded my to watch my frame of reference. Due to my research interests I tend to think of diaspora as a past event, and the present as perhaps the aftermath of diaspora. A tricky distinction, but I think a vital one.