The Souls of Black Folk: One Hundred Years Later

Published in 1903, The Souls of Black Folk by W. E. B. Du Bois was a landmark achievement, moving American philosophy beyond the structures of pragmatism and positivism as it addressed new questions about American social and political history. One hundred years later, Du Bois's classic still resonates in twentieth-century thought, offering a critical perspective on the political, social, and economic encumbrances imposed upon blacks during Reconstruction and post-Reconstruction America. This important new book is the first collection of essays to examine sustainedly The Souls of Black Folk from a variety of disciplines: aesthetics, art history, classics, communications, history, literature, music, political science, and psychology. The authors' observations establish a rythm of call and response as they examine the critical depth of a text that has had a profound influence on African American intellectual history. Implicitly, the essays show how The Souls of Black Folk has influenced teaching practices and suggested alternative ways of teaching that create a pedagogy of inclusion. The Souls of Black Folk remains a pivotal text in the American understanding of the black experience,