Book Discussion "The Souls of Black Folk" by W.E.B. Du Bois

Our book for February is the The Souls of Black Folk by African-American sociologist W.E.B. Du Bois.

From Wikipedia:
The Souls of Black Folk (1903) is a seminal work in the history of sociology and a cornerstone of African-American literature…To develop [the book], Du Bois drew from his own experiences as an African American in American society. [Apart from] 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.

In [the book], Du Bois used the term "double consciousness", perhaps taken from Ralph Waldo Emerson…, applying it to the idea that black people must have two fields of vision at all times. They must be conscious of how they view themselves, as well as being conscious of how the world views them.

"Du Bois's most important gift to the black literary tradition is, without question, the concept of the duality of the African-American, expressed metaphorically in his elated metaphors of double-consciousness and the veil.” – Maya Angelou