The Problem of the Color Line at the Turn of the Twentieth Century: The Essential Early Essays (American Philosophy)

This volume assembles essential essays—some published only posthumously, others obscure, another only recently translated—by W. E. B. Du Bois from 1894 to early 1906. They show the first formulations of some of his most famous ideas, namely, "the veil," "double-consciousness," and the "problem of the color line." Moreover, the deep historical sense of the formation of the modern world that informs Du Bois's thought and gave rise to his understanding of "the problem of the color line" is on display here. Indeed, the essays constitute an essential companion to Du Bois's masterpiece published in 1903 as The Souls of Black Folk. The collection is based on two editorial principles: presenting the essays in their entirety and in strict chronological order. Copious annotation affords both student and mature scholar an unprecedented grasp of the range and depth of Du Bois's everyday intellectual and scholarly reference. These essays commence at the moment of Du Bois's return to the United States from two years of graduate-level study in Europe at the University of Berlin. At their center is the moment of Du Bois's first full, self-reflexive formulation of a sense of vocation: as a student and scholar in the pursuit of the human sciences (in their still-nascent disciplinary organization—that is, the institutionalization of a generalized "sociology" or general "ethnology"), as they could be brought to bear on the study of the situation of the so-called Negro question in the United States in all of its multiply refracting dimensions. They close with Du Bois's realization that the commitments orienting his work and intellectual practice demanded that he move beyond the institutional frames for the practice of the human sciences. The ideas developed in these early essays remained the fundamental matrix for the ongoing development of Du Bois's thought. The essays gathered here will therefore serve as the essential reference for those seeking to understand the most profound registers of this major American thinker. Early essays from the sociologist, displaying the beginnings of his views on politics, society, and Black Americans’ status in the United States. This volume assembles essential essays?some published only posthumously, others obscure, another only recently translated?by W. E. B. Du Bois from 1894 to early 1906. They show the first formulations of some of his most famous ideas, namely, “the veil,” “double-consciousness,” and the “problem of the color line.” Moreover, the deep historical sense of the formation of the modern world that informs Du Bois’s thought and gave rise to his understanding of “the problem of the color line” is on display here. Indeed, the essays constitute an essential companion to Du Bois’s 1903 masterpiece The Souls of Black Folk. The collection is based on two editorial principles: presenting the essays in their entirety and in strict chronological order. Copious annotation affords both student and mature scholar an unprecedented grasp of the range and depth of Du Bois’s everyday intellectual and scholarly reference. These essays commence at the moment of Du Bois’s return to the United States from two years of graduate-level study in Europe at the University of Berlin. At their center is the moment of Du Bois’s first full, self-reflexive formulation of a sense of vocation: as a student and scholar in the pursuit of the human sciences (in their still-nascent disciplinary organization?that is, the institutionalization of a generalized “sociology” or general “ethnology”), as they could be brought to bear on the study of the situation of the so-called Negro question in the United States in all of its multiply refracting dimensions. They close with Du Bois’s realization that the commitments orienting his work and intellectual practice demanded that he move beyond the institutional frames for the practice of the human sciences. The ideas developed in these early essays remained the fundamental matrix for the ongoing development of Du Bois’s thought. The essays gathered here will therefore serve as the essential reference for those seeking to understand the most profound registers of this major American thinker. “A seminal contribution to the history of modern thought. Compiled and edited by the world’s preeminent scholar of early Du Boisian thought, these texts represent his most generative period, when Du Bois engaged every discipline, helped construct modern social science, employed critical inquiry as a weapon of antiracism and political liberation, and always set his sites on the entire world. We know this not by the essays alone, but by Nahum Dimitri Chandler’s brilliant, original, and quite riveting introduction. If you are coming to Du Bois for the first time of the 500th time, this book is a must-read.” —Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination This Volume Assembles Essential Essays Some Published Only Posthumously, Others Obscure, Another Only Recently Translated By W. E. B. Du Bois From 1894 To Early 1906. They Show The First Formulations Of Some Of His Most Famous Ideas, Namely, The Veil, Double-consciousness, And The Problem Of The Color Line. Moreover, The Deep Historical Sense Of The Formation Of The Modern World That Informs Du Bois's Thought And Gave Rise To His Understanding Of The Problem Of The Color Line Is On Display Here. Indeed, The Essays Constitute An Essential Companion To Du Bois's Masterpiece Published In 1903 As The Souls Of Black Folk. The Collection Is Based On Two Editorial Principles: Presenting The Essays In Their Entirety And In Strict Chronological Order. Copious Annotation Affords Both Student And Mature Scholar An Unprecedented Grasp Of The Range And Depth Of Du Bois's Everyday Intellectual And Scholarly Reference. Introduction. Toward A New History Of The Centuries: On The Early Writings Of W.e.b. Du Bois / Nahum Dimitri Chandler -- The Afro-american (ca. 1894) -- The Conservation Of Races (1897) -- Strivings Of The Negro People (1897) -- Appendix: Résumé Of The Discussion Of The Negro Problems (1897) -- The Present Outlook For The Dark Races Of Mankind (1900) -- The Spirit Of Modern Europe (ca. 1900) -- The Freedman's Bureau (1901) -- The Relation Of The Negroes To The Whites In The South (1901) -- The Talented Tenth (1903) -- The Development Of A People (1904) -- Sociology Hesitant (ca. 1905) -- Die Negerfrage In Den Vereinigten Staaten (the Negro Question In The United States) (1906). W.e.b. Du Bois ; Edited By Nahum Dimitri Chandler. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Frontmatter Introduction: Toward a New History of the Centuries: On the Early Writings of W.E.B. Du Bois, by Nahum Dimitri Chandler (page 1) The Afro-American (ca. 1894) (page 33) The Conservation of Races (1897) (page 51) Strivings of the Negro People (1897) (page 67) The Study of the Negro Problems (1897) (page 77) Appendix: Resume of the Discussion of the Negro Problems (1897) (page 99) The Present Outlook for the Dark Races of Mankind (1900) (page 111) The Spirit of Modern Europe (ca. 1900) (page 139) The Freedman's Bureau (1901) (page 167) The Relation of the Negroes to the Whites in the South (1901) (page 189) The Talented Tenth (1903) (page 209) The Development of a People (1904) (page 243) Sociology Hesistant (ca. 1905) (page 271) Die Negerfrage in den Vereinigten Staaten (The Negro Question in the United States) (1906) (page 285) Bibliography (page 339) Index (page 369)