But , anthropological research by Melville Herskovits and others demonstrated that there has been a continuum of African traditions among Africans of the Diaspora .
20th - century sociologists , such as Gunnar Myrdal , believed that African Americans had lost most cultural ties with Africa .
Anthropological research by Melville Herskovits and others demonstrated that there has been a continuum of African traditions among Africans of the Diaspora .
20th - century sociologists , such as Gunnar Myrdal , believed that African Americans had lost most cultural ties with Africa .