Co-workers in the Kingdom of Culture : Classics and Cosmopolitanism in the Thought of W. E. B. Du Bois

W. E. B. Du Bois was one of the great African American intellectuals of the early twentieth century. He was a prominent civil rights leader, sociologist, historian, educator, author of several works of fiction, and one of the founding figures of Pan-Africanism. Du Bois's works are filled with allusions to the classical mythology, philosophy, and history that permeated his education. In the first book-length discussion of the topic, David Withun examines the influence of classical authors on Du Bois's thoughts about education, the arts, government, and society. The influence of classical philosophy, particularly that of Plato and Cicero, is apparent in some of Du Bois's most distinctive ideas, such as the concept of the Talented Tenth, his opposition to Booker T. Washington's industrial education, and in his support of propaganda through art. Withun also explores Du Bois's critique of the classical tradition in his responses to modern racism and colonialism. While Du Bois adopted a number of ideas from the classical tradition, he also used them to critique what he saw as a tradition gone awry. Alongside Du Bois's critique of the classical tradition, he also exhibited an increasing interest in the history--ancient and modern--of Africa and Asia. In his attempts to combat modern prejudice, Du Bois appealed to the long traditions of thought of peoples outside of Europe, in several instances pioneering the research of non-European history. Withun argues that Du Bois's absorption of the classical tradition and simultaneous appreciation of the history of Africa and Asia culminated in a modern cosmopolitanism, one that calls for a more inclusive appreciation of global culture. "The education of W. E. B. Du Bois was similar to that of many of his educated white contemporaries in its focus on knowledge of classical languages and literatures. As was common at the time, the classics were central to Du Bois's education beginning with his high school education in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, and continuing through his undergraduate and graduate education at Fisk University, Harvard University, and the University of Berlin (then Friedrich Wilhelm University). The impression of his education in the classics on Du Bois's intellectual and moral formation would continue to mark his thought and work throughout his life. The education of W. E. B. Du Bois marks the beginning of an intellectual life steeped in and informed by classical thought-especially that of Cicero and Plato-as well as classical mythology and rhetorical forms. While influences on Du Bois's thought include a number of sources that depart in significant ways from classical thought, Du Bois often adapted these influences in such a way that they became compatible with the classical foundations of his most firm ideological commitments. While at Harvard, for example, Du Bois was able to incorporate elements of William James's pragmatist philosophy into his essentially Platonic metaphysics with the assistance of the simultaneous influence of George Santayana. However, Du Bois's classical education also presented him with the challenge that would later form the basis of much of his treatment of classical literature-and Western canonical literature more generally-in his later writing, namely, that he had discovered a passion for the tradition of received canonical texts and thought, but simultaneously found himself excluded from full participation in it because of the racist ideas of his contemporaries. In spite of the persistent classical foundations of Du Bois's ideas, his life and thought were also marked by an awareness of the profound injustice of racial and class discrimination at the heart of the culture which claimed this classical heritage as its own"-- Provided by publisher W. E. B. Du Bois was a prominent civil rights leader, sociologist, historian, educator, author, and thinker of the early twentieth century. Du Bois’s works in all of his areas of endeavor are filled with allusions to the classical mythology, philosophy, and history that permeated his education. This book examines the influence of Du Bois’s education in the classics on Du Bois’s thought on education, the arts, government, and society. It then discusses the influence of classical philosophy on some of Du Bois’s distinctive ideas, such as the concept of the Talented Tenth, his opposition to Booker T. Washington’s industrial education, and his support of propaganda through art. The influence of the thought of Plato and Cicero on Du Bois receives particular attention. Finally, it explores Du Bois’s critique of the classical tradition in his responses to modern racism and colonialism. Alongside Du Bois’s critique of the classical tradition, he also exhibited an increasing interest in the history—ancient and modern—of Africa and Asia. In his attempts to combat modern prejudice, Du Bois appealed to the long traditions of thought and story of peoples outside of Europe, in several instances pioneering the research of non-European history. Du Bois’s influence by the classics and simultaneous appreciation of the history of Africa and Asia eventually culminated in a modern cosmopolitanism that calls for an appreciation of all cultures and heritages. The classical education of W. E. B. Du Bois -- American Archias : Cicero, epic poetry, and The Souls of Black Folk -- The influence of Plato on the thought of W. E. B. Du Bois -- racist metamorphoses in Du Bois's classical references -- The history of the "darker peoples" of the world : Afrocentrism and cosmopolitanism in the later thought of W. E. B. Du Bois Classical influences and allusions are found throughout the works of W.E.B. Du Bois, the prominent African American intellectual and pioneering sociologist, historian, and educator. This is a book-length discussion of the influence of classical authors such as Plato and Cicero on this important twentieth-century thinker