paul gilroy used theories of culture and race to the study and construction of african american intellectual history. he is known especially for marking a turning point in the study of the african diasporas. his book "the black atlantic: modernity and double consciousness" (1993) introduces the "black atlantic" as a source for cultural construction. gilroy pioneers a shift in contemporary black studies by arguing for a rejection of the notion of a homogeneous nation-state based nationality in favor of analyzing "the atlantic as one single, complex unit of analysis in their discussions of the modern world and use it to produce an explicitly transnational and intercultural perspective". he based this on the atlantic slave trade and marked it as the foundation for the diaspora. he recognized the significance of european and african transnational travel as a foundation for double consciousness. gilroy used du bois's theory of double consciousness to suggest there exists an internal struggle to reconcile being both european and black, which was his main focus in his book. he even characterized the black atlantic by the influence of slave trade "routes" on black identity. he aimed to unify black culture with the connection to the homeland as well the cultural exchanges that occurred afterward. he was also influential in the political black british movement, in which he popularized his theories.