Web Du Bois and Double Consciousness Essay

W.E.B. Du Bois, a prominent African American scholar in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, wrote many significant essays that challenged the dangerous societal view that black Americans weren’t capable of progress. In one of those essays, Strivings of the Negro People, he develops new terminology to discuss the many forces that act upon black Americans in a white dominated society, the most important of which is double-consciousness. The phrase, “double-consciousness”, refers to the division of the African American self into conflicting two facets: one being the American and the other the Negro, ever being forced to look at themselves through the eyes of a racist society.

George Mead and W.E.B Du Bois were both prominent American sociologists of the 20th century. Mead is known as one of the founders of social psychology and symbolic interactionism. Du Bois was also a historian, civil rights activist, author, writer, and editor. Both of them became renowned pragmatists, after years of writing articles, reviews, essays and books on philosophical topics. One of Mead’s popular theories is his theory on the social construction of self. One of Du Bois’s popular theories’ is one about double consciousness. Although, racism was the main target of Du Bois's’ polemics, both of their ideas of “self” are roughly the same. Their ideas share a common ground.

Du Bois, further exploring the two sides of the veil and the persistence of the double consciousness entangling Blacks, developed very specific conceptions of equality for Blacks in America. He defined social as not only referring “to the intimate contacts of the family group and of personal companions, but also and increasingly to the whole vast complex of human relationships through which we carry out our cultural pattern” and socially equal society as one where “private social intercourse (marriages, friendships, home entertainment), public services (residence areas, travel, recreation and information, hotels and restaurants), and social uplift (education, religion, science and art) are openly and freely accessible to Blacks, in thought, expression and action” (Du Bois 1995a, 614). The delineation of specific areas needing improvement reflects the inequalities experienced by Black Americans at the time. Such a conceptualization would not be possible without a deep understanding of the experiences of Blacks and Whites on either side of the

Growing up Du Bois often played with the white kids in school, and he strived to be recognized for being more knowledgeable in all aspects than they were, however, he came to realize that it would never be possible. Through interactions with other black boys Du Bois was made aware of his limitations, nevertheless, he, like many black people fought to be optimistic in finding ways to take these opportunities that were so rightfully theirs. However, the question emerged of how could a person strive to be prosperous and have everything that the race he so greatly detest has, without being considered dishonorable by his own people? Many African Americans are brainwashed and fall under the misconception that having an education, a career, or even speaking proper, falls into the category of acting white. This ideology places a lot of stress on many successful black people, who growing up faced bullying and were described as a disgrace to their own race.

In The Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B DuBois pioneers two concepts that describe the Black experience in America— the notions of “the veil” and “double-consciousness.” The meaning and implication of these words not only describe the plight of being Black and American then, it also refers to what it means to still be Black and American today – the remnants of the past live on. DuBois explains the veil concept in reference to three things: the literal darker skin of Blacks, which is the physical demarcation of the difference from whiteness, white people’s lack of clarity in order to see Blacks as “true” Americans, and lastly Blacks’ lack of clarity to see themselves outside of what white America prescribes for them. The idea of double consciousness refers to the two-ness, caused by our nations flawed and polarized system, felt by many Blacks. I argue that although DuBois was the first to coin these two terms, it is clear through analyzing Uncle Tom’s Cabin and 12 Years a Slave that these two significant concepts gave a name to what African-Americans had been feeling for years but previously could not define.

The struggle for equality and the battle to have one’s suppressed voice be heard is prevalent throughout the history of the United States. The Native Americans, women, and even Catholics have all encountered discrimination and belittlement in one shape or form, which eventually urged individuals within those groups to rise up and demand equal opportunity. As the United States began to shift away from slavery, one of the most deep rooted, controversial dilemmas aroused- what do black people need to do in order to gain civil rights both economically and socially? Booker T. Washington’s “Atlanta Exposition Address” and W.E.B. Du Bois's “The Soul of Black Folks” were pieces of writings influenced by the puzzle that black people were left to solve. Booker T. Washington and W.E.B Du Bois had contrasting ideas, but they both contributed a piece to the puzzle in hopes of solving the never ending mind game.

Few men have influenced the lives of African-Americans as much as William Edward Burghardt (W.E.B.) Du Bois is considered more of a history-maker than a historian(Aptheker, "The Historian"). Dr. Du Bois conducted the initial research on the black experience in the United States. Civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. have referred to Du Bois as a father of the Civil Rights Movement. Du Bois conducted the initial research on the black experience in the United States, and paved the way for the Pan-African and Black Power movements. This paper will describe his life, work, influence in the black community, and much publicized civil dispute with another black leader, Booker T. Washington.

E. B. DuBois and Marcus Garvey. Focusing on the solidarity of the diasporic people worldwide bringing unity and progress, W. E. B. DuBois coined the term double consciousness, explaining how the Black American often juggled between two cultures. Marcus Garvey, however, conceived a vision of a society where the racial segregation could be advantageous for black people and thereby, create a nationality for themselves. Instead of an integrated society, Garvey believed that “when time comes for American and West Indian Negroes to settle in Africa, they will realize their responsibility and their duty” to create a nation of their own race.

The turn-of-the-century W.E.B Du Bois wrote his seminal text The Souls of Black Folk in response to what was then called the 'Negro Problem.' The 'Negro Problem' was the question of whether African-Americans should be treated as equal within the firmament of American society and whether integration or separate but equal were more viable doctrines. Du Bois wrote against such advocates of acceptance like Booker T. Washington, and instead demanded parity for his people in terms of opportunities. In the first essay of Du Bois' book entitled "Our Spiritual Strivings," Du Bois writes of his frustrations as a young, African-American child who was intelligent and thoughtful yet all too well aware of how his race would limit his ability to pursue his studies although he

It doesn’t take long to figure out that race and ethnicity issues continue to affect America - a quick glance at the news will show the latest riot, hate crime, or police brutality incident. This centuries old struggle has given rise to a number of literary works on the topic, many of which take a different approach to the issue. W.E.B. Du Bois, for instance, published the work The Souls of Black Folk in 1903, arguing for blacks’ right to equality in a horrifically segregated society. In these essays, Du Bois coined the term “double-consciousness,” wherein those with black skin must view the world both from their own perspective, and from the perspective of the predominately white society. The short story Recitatif by Toni Morrison explores this concept through the removal of the characters’ races, and the film Do the Right Thing, directed by Spike Lee, tells a story to demonstrate it. While the former shows double-consciousness through the usage of ambiguity, the latter almost directly references the concept. Taken together, these two sources argue a multi-faceted version double-consciousness, wherein society alienates the characters in ways that go beyond just the color of one’s skin.

The early 20th century African-American scholar W.E.B. Du Bois identified the 'double consciousness' of African-Americans as the demand that African-Americans must understand white culture as well as their own to survive in a hostile, white-dominated America. Unlike whites, who could choose to interact with blacks only when it suited their needs (whether this meant employing them as servants or going to jazz clubs), African-Americans had to be hyper-aware of the needs of whites, given white political and economic dominance.

W.E.B. Du Bois writes a riveting essay—“Of Our Spiritual Strivings”—in his American literary classic, The Souls of Black Folk, in which he outlines American society in the 1900s from the third cultured (double conscious) lens of African-Americans. The essay is an acknowledgement of the emotional nature of an African-American, beginning with a question he always feels is indirectly posed to him through the eyes of White individuals: “how does it feel like to be a problem?” Du Bois also coins the term double-consciousness, to describe the intersection of Black men in America and Americans in America—two very polar identities. He ends the essay with an affirmation that freedom without liberty is not freedom at all; without the right to vote our

W.E.B Du Bois was and continues to be an important figure in the discipline of sociology and the individual’s understanding of certain concepts, especially with regards to double consciousness and the individual in society.

The idea of dual, or double, consciousness comes from the writings of W.E.B. Du Bois, specifically, The Souls of Black Folk, where he describes the feeling of a person being unable to choose between two identities, the identity of their people and the identity of their new home country. This inability to choose leads to constant insecurity and feelings of inadequacy, blocking the foreigner from obtaining inner peace and, therefore, happiness. Furthermore, the native people treat these outsiders differently, which exacerbates the problem of dual identity that these immigrant groups face. Du Bois, however, is only able to focus on how dual consciousness affects African American people, as that was the type of double consciousness he personally

Envision that you live in a place where you feel like you belong there, but because on the outside you look different the majority resents you. The Souls of Black Folks by W.E.B. Du Bois written in 1903 consists of a collection of short essays that convey the important aspects of African-American history. Throughout the novel there are two main themes. One is that African-American’s lived and experienced moments from behind a veil, and the other is that they lived with a double consciousness. For the reader to fully understand these themes, Du Bois writes of situations, in every essay, that blacks had to endure that they are different.