The Black Atlantic culture
Perhaps the main theme of this text is the revolutionary idea of a "black Atlantic culture." According to Gilroy, the black Atlantic culture is a culture that transgresses national boundaries and incorporates aspects of Caribbean, African, British and American culture. Gilroy argues that for many black people, there are difficulties in reconciling the multifaceted idea of a collective black culture or identity.
Slavery
Slavery is a key theme in this text. The effects of slavery on black people in modern times are analyzed by Gilroy, who argues that slavery created a sense of "double-consciousness" for black people, whose cultural identification often spans multiple countries and cultures. As such, Gilroy asserts his argument for the idea of a "black Atlantic" identity, which transgresses other national identities.
Double-consciousness
In chapter one of the text, Gilroy introduces the idea of a "double-consciousness," experienced by many European black people. He argues that the idea of a "black identity" is complex and difficult to define, due to the impact of slavery and the multinational identity of many black people. This idea is something Gilroy refers to repeatedly in his text and uses as a basis for his argument about a black Atlantic cultural identity.
