William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk

Robert W. Williams (Bennett College)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.5: African American Writing and Culture of the United States.
Vol. editors: Sofia Ahlberg (Uppsala University), Philathia Bolton (University of Akron), Patrick Chura (University of Akron), J. Michael Duvall (College of Charleston), Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), A Yemisi Jimoh (University of Massachusetts Amherst), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Tony Papanikolas (San Jose State University)

Domains

Exploration
Political Science

Dates

First circulation or publication 1903

Places

United States (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Account/ study
Essays/ Lectures (any)

Resources

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Recommended Reading

The Souls of Black Folk

in 1903 spoke at once, directly and passionately, to the vital concerns of African Americans. But it spoke also to the United States as a whole, directly addressing its often triumphalist claims to be “a land of liberty”. In the century following its publication the book has come to transcend its era, enduring as a classic analysis of racial oppression and a lyrical expression of human hopes persevering in struggles against injustice and dehumanization. Many consider that

Souls

lives today because of its empowering sense of Black subjectivity – the agency of those struggling against unjust constraints – and its multiple modes of analysis and expression – its sociological, political, and aesthetic tools. Such points are underscored by the numerous…

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3115 words

Citation: Williams, Robert W.. "The Souls of Black Folk". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 June 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7786, accessed 27 November 2024.]

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