AfroDiasporic

Afrodiasporic (also Afro-diasporic) is a scholarly and cultural descriptor for phenomena linked to the African diaspora—the dispersion of African peoples and their descendants across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and other regions through slavery, migration, and modern movement. It encompasses identities, communities, and practices that emerge when African-origin populations engage with other cultures across borders, generating transnational linkages.

The term is used to analyze cultural production, social life, and spiritual practices that traverse national boundaries. In music, Afrodiasporic influence includes genres such as blues, jazz, samba, reggae, hip hop, afrobeats, and Caribbean rhythms. In religion and spirituality, it covers syncretic systems such as Santería, Candomblé, Vodou, Rastafari, and related folk practices. Linguistically, it can refer to African-influenced creoles and dialects, including Haitian Creole, Gullah, Papiamento, and various Afro-Latinx and Afro-European speech patterns.

In scholarship, Afrodiasporic studies highlight transatlantic connections, diaspora politics, and the negotiation of identity, race, and heritage in postcolonial and migrant contexts. The term is sometimes used interchangeably with or alongside Afro-descendant, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Brazilian, and Afro-Latinx, with different emphasis on regional or cultural focus. The form Afrodiasporic is one of several spellings (hyphenated or not), reflecting ongoing debates about terminology.