ABOUT FADS
Frontiers of African Diaspora Studies (FADS) (Print ISSN: 3107-1805; Online ISSN: 3107-1813) is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by Hong Kong Information Education Publishing Company Limited. FADS publishes two issues each year in both Chinese and English. The journal is edited by Professor Tan Huijuan of University of Electronic Science and Technology of China.
FADS is China's inaugural academic journal dedicated to African and African diaspora studies. It also stands as one of the exceptionally few global academic platforms that adopt a comprehensive research paradigm centered on the bidirectional interaction between the African homeland and the global diaspora. Transcending traditional disciplinary divisions, the journal pioneers an integrative framework in which the African homeland and the global diaspora function as two wings of a single entity, with the aim of reconstructing a more equitable and comprehensive epistemic landscape of Africa and its diaspora.
The establishment of the Institute of African and Afro-Diaspora Studies and the launch of Frontiers of African Diaspora Studies are not isolated academic events; rather, they are deeply rooted in a clear and profound lineage of academic heritage. This trajectory may be outlined in four stages. Stage One: Inception and Foundation (2016). The School of Foreign Languages at Hangzhou Dianzi University took the lead in establishing the Institute for African and African American Studies, the first specialized research institution in China dedicated to this field. It undertook the major project Translation and Research of A History of African American Literature funded by the National Social Science Fund of China, as well as the key project A History of African American Literary Criticism, thereby laying a solid archival foundation and disciplinary legitimacy for subsequent research. Stage Two: Platform Expansion (2019). The Chinese and Foreign Language and Culture Comparison Society (China) approved the establishment of the Professional Committee for Comparative Studies of Chinese and African Languages and Cultures, marking the aggregation of research capabilities from a single university to a national academic community. Stage Three: Network Radiation (2019–2024). From the 2019 conference in Chengdu and the 2020 conference at China University of Mining and Technology-Beijing, to the 2023 annual conference hosted by Yunnan University and the 2024 conference at Shandong Normal University, the academic network underwent continuous deepening and expansion, forging a cross-regional, multi-centric pattern of synergistic academic collaboration among universities. Stage Four: Systemic Elevation (2025–2026). The School of Foreign Languages at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China formally initiated preparations for the Institute of African and Afro-Diaspora Studies and launched Frontiers of African Diaspora Studies. This landmark initiative completed a closed-loop construction from project-based research to a physical institutional entity, and from society-based exchange to journal publication, thereby establishing a systematic knowledge production mechanism integrating a research institute, an academic society platform, and a scholarly journal.
From the cataclysmic trauma of the transatlantic slave trade to the contemporary transnational crossings between the Global South and metropolitan centers, the African diaspora is simultaneously a history of oppression marked by blood and tears, and a history of cultural emergence animated by resilience, resistance, and creolized creativity. This journal aspires to be a trailblazer in this frontier domain, expanding theoretical boundaries through critical dialogue and reconstructing the epistemic map from a Chinese perspective. We firmly believe that within the interactive dynamics of the African homeland and the global diaspora, diaspora is no longer the terminus of rupture, but the genesis of relations and creation. In this sense, looking back is moving forward, and diaspora is homecoming.
Logo Design and Textual Interpretation
Instead of conventional iconography such as continental silhouettes or totemic masks, this logotype deconstructs and reconstructs the deep semantics and logical architecture of “Africa” through minimalist letterforms. It serves as a visual manifestation of the “Poetics of Relation” (Poétique de la Relation) advocated by Édouard Glissant.
The core motif consists of two mirrored “A” s in black and white. Their convergence at the apex symbolizes a shared genealogy, while their union at the base signifies a teleological unity despite divergent paths, visually subsuming these elements into a monumental “Africa”. The distinctive chromatic interpenetration—“whiteness in blackness, and blackness in whiteness”—profoundly metaphors hybridity of identity flux within the postcolonial context. This design ruptures monolithic and static identity boundaries, proclaiming a dynamic ontology of cultural becoming.
Rather than tapering to a point, the lower halves of the dual “A”s metamorphose into rhizomatic structures extending freely in all directions. This visual lexicon resonates with Glissant’s concept of “Antillanité” —the generation of new cultural identities through continuous contact and hybridity within a fragmented historical-geographical space. Simultaneously, it embodies Deleuze’s “Rhizomatic thinking”, emphasizing an acentric, non-hierarchical mode of growth. Within this paradigm, each dispersed rootlet represents a “nodal point” in a cosmic archipelago; though scattered across the globe, they remain interconnected via complex subterranean networks, co-constituting a decentralized and vibrant community.
The oblique composition of the dual “A”s implicitly engenders four dimensions of the letter “F”. This not only phonetically echoes the initial of the double “Fei” (非) in the Chinese terms for “Africa”and "African Diaspora”, thereby pinpointing the ontological subject of inquiry, but also signifies the pioneering spirit of the “Frontier”and the academic vision of “Fusion”. This symbolizes that the dimensions of the African homeland and its diaspora are not isolated entities; rather, they are deeply interwoven within the “Relation”, perpetually generating new cultural significations.
Scope and Topics
The research field of Frontiers of African Diaspora Studies focuses on the theoretical construction and practical exploration of African diaspora studies against the background of the interweaving of globalization, post-colonial transformation and digital communication, covering core areas such as African diasporic literature and artistic creation, identity and cultural memory of diaspora communities, transnational mobility and social integration of diaspora groups, colonial heritage and the construction of diasporic discourse, the dissemination and evolution of diasporic culture in the digital age, interdisciplinary theories and methodological innovation in diaspora studies, cultural interaction between African diaspora and the Global South, and rights protection and social policies for diaspora groups. It is committed to revealing the living patterns and cultural characteristics of African diaspora groups in the global context, exploring the diverse values and historical connotations of diasporic culture, expanding the theoretical boundaries and development paths of diaspora studies, and providing a high-level academic platform for promoting the academic innovation of African diaspora studies and enhancing understanding and communication between different cultures.
Open Access Policy
FADS is a fully open access journal that provides immediate and permanent free access to all published content for all users worldwide without requiring any article processing charges (APCs) or subscription fees. All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, allowing unrestricted sharing, distribution, and reuse with proper attribution. Authors retain copyright of their work while granting the journal publishing rights. We support responsible scholarly sharing by permitting authors to deposit preprints in any repository without embargo and postprints immediately upon publication. This sustainable model maintains the highest standards of peer review and editorial quality while eliminating financial barriers to knowledge dissemination.
Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the journal or its publisher.
