Gilroy utilizes the imagery of the slave ship to demonstrate the position of Black bodies between two (or more) lands, identities, cultures, etc.

[1] Pointedly, he speaks of the song "Keep on Moving" which he asserts expresses "the restlessness of spirit which makes that diaspora culture vital".

[1] In many ways, the song exemplifies the state of the diaspora as Black bodies have existed in numerous spaces and cannot be defined solely by where they have been, where they are, or where they are going.

He expresses how the existence of racist and nationalist discourse have interacted in a manner that portrays them as separate identities and opinions.

The effect of this is that there exists no blending or interweaving of these identities and any effort in forming connections or walking the middle ground between them is politically provocative and insubordinate.