After watching the documentary and discussing more about the specifics of DuBois’s research in The Philadelphia Negro during class, it really amazed me how little DuBois is credited (in my experience at Harvard) as a founding figure in the study of social inequality and in ethnographic methods in particular. What struck me most in the documentary’s explanation of Du Bois’ work is that he pioneered the argument that social conditions and not racial culture were to blame for the poverty of the the black 7th ward. I’m astounded, then, that this “culture argument” is not only common today, but also thriving. Examples of the argument that the extent to which a racial culture is “hard-working” or “academic”\u00a0determines racial inequality include readings by Charles Murray and Amy Chua & Jed Rubenfeld that I have been assigned during my time at Harvard.<\/p>\n
So to say that Du Bois is a founder of American sociology or ahead of his time might be understatements, because he is deeply engaged in questions that are still sources\u00a0of academic contention and questions that have enormous policy implications today. Instead of reading about “the talented tenth” and “double-consciousness” several times over–both of these are historically and theoretically relevant reads–I think more students of social science should be made to understand DuBois’ place in the historiography of research on social inequality.\u00a0The conversation fundamentally changes when you realize that the arguments are over a century old.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After watching the documentary and discussing more about the specifics of DuBois’s research in The Philadelphia Negro during class, it really amazed me how little DuBois is credited (in my experience at Harvard) as a founding figure in the study of social inequality and in ethnographic methods in particular. What struck me most in the … Continue reading DuBois as Sociological Founder<\/span>