2017 Reprint of 1903 Edition. In Living Black History, Du Bois’s biographer Manning Marable observes: Few books make history and fewer still become foundational texts for the movements and struggles of an entire people. The Souls of Black Folk occupies this rare position. It helped to create the intellectual argument for the black freedom struggle in the twentieth century. Souls justified the pursuit of higher education for Negroes and thus contributed to the rise of the black middle class. By describing a global color-line, Du Bois anticipated pan-Africanism and colonial revolutions in the Third World. Moreover, this stunning critique of how ‘race’ is lived through the normal aspects of daily life is central to what would become known as ‘whiteness studies’ a century later. The Souls of Black Folk is a classic work of American literature by W. E. B. Du Bois. It is a seminal work in the history of sociology, and a cornerstone of African-American literary history.

The book, first published in 1903, contains several essays on race, some of which the magazine Atlantic Monthly had previously published. To develop this work, Du Bois drew from his own experiences as an African American in the American society. Outside of its notable relevance in African-American history, The Souls of Black Folk also holds an important place in social science as one of the early works in the field of sociology.

Contents: Of our spiritual strivings – Of the dawn of freedom – Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and others – Of the meaning of progress – Of the wings of Atalanta – Of the training of black men – Of the black belt – Of the quest of the golden fleece – Of the sons of master and man – Of the faith of the fathers – Of the passing of the first-born – Of Alexander Crummell – Of the coming of John – The sorrow songs.