The articles published in this special issue of The Annals were
prepared for a conference titled "The Study of African American
Problems" held in February 1999. The articles are a manifestation
of the rich scholarly legacy created by W.E.B. Du Bois at the end
of the nineteenth century-a legacy that continues to bear fruit at
the start of the twenty-first century. While the works in this
volume of The Annals are based on Du Bois s prospectus, "The Study
of the Negro Problems," originally published in this journal 100
years ago and reprinted in this volume, they follow strongly the
spirit rather than the letter of that article.
Du Bois s lifework was to focus the attention of society on the
problems of African Americans, and these were centered on the need
to develop leadership and social capital for blacks within a wider
system that was unwilling to include them. In order to help develop
the most complete possible picture of the black community, he
identified four broad areas of study: social interpretation,
historical study, statistical investigation, and anthropological
measurement. The articles in this important issue of The Annals
expand these practical categories, adding issues (of gender, for
example) to some and broadening the definition of others. However,
all the topics fall within the purview of what Du Bois saw as
affecting all African Americans.
Du Bois felt that scholars were missing an important opportunity
by not studying blacks. He pushed the academic community to take
blacks seriously from a scientific perspective, while at the same
time making an important contribution to world scholarship. This
outstanding volume of The Annals is not a critique of Du Bois, but
rather a reflection on the issues that were first raised by him and
an effort to relate those themes to work that is being done today.
Here scholars write both of their work and of the inspiration
provided to them by this seminal and highly regarded thinker."
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!