Darkwater: Voices from within the Veil

First published in 1920, this ground-breaking work by the pioneering African-American scholar W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963) is not only original and probing in its brilliant ideas but also experimental in presentation, ranging from detailed socio-political analyses to lyrical and poetic presentations. After an opening autobiographical essay, Du Bois launches a series of critical commentaries on some of the most important issues pertaining to White-Black relations, including White bigotry, Black voting rights, and Black-White labour relations. Many of Du Bois’ criticisms of a world social and economic system that marginalises people of colour still resonate today, especially in debates over globalisation. Another perennially relevant issue addressed in this book is the fate of Africa after colonialism. Du Bois’ farsightedness in advocating for women’s rights, in emphasising the critical importance of childhood education for all races, and in critiquing an unjust economic system that concentrates power and wealth in the hands of a few is as penetrating today as it was when he first penned his views over eighty years ago. With an insightful introduction by University of Florida Graduate Research Professor of Sociology Joe R. Feagin, this edition of a classic work in Black Studies makes available the influential ideas of a leading African American scholar and advocate of reform.