Reflecting on contemporary epistemologies of European Blackness
 
Long absent from research in the humanities and social sciences, Black people in continental Europe have become the focus of a growing body of literature in the past two decades that addresses their unique history and social positioning. Black Studies in Europe: An Anthology of Soil and Seeds brings together essays and case studies by a collective of scholars, writers, and activists to offer a critical overview of the emerging field of Black European studies and a vital reflection on contemporary epistemologies of European Blackness. This collection addresses key questions: What is Blackness from a European standpoint? Which epistemologies and theoretical tools have been used to offer a better understanding of Black experiences in Europe? How is this knowledge being produced and by whom? Can we define a common European conceptual framework for Black studies? Related to this work is an even more urgent enterprise: forging an epistemological distinction between the study of Black people and “Black studies” as an emancipatory project.

NICOLE GRÉGOIRE is a research affiliate with the Laboratoire d’Anthropologie des Mondes Contemporains at Université Libre de Bruxelles.
 
SARAH FILA-BAKABADIO is an associate professor in the Faculté des Études Internationales et Interculturelles at CY Cergy Paris Université.
 
JACINTHE MAZZOCCHETTI is a professor of political anthropology in the Laboratoire d’Anthropologie Prospective at Université Catholique de Louvain.