W.E.B. Du Bois on the Study of Social Problems

Abstract

This close reading and interpretation of Du Bois's "The Study of the Negro Problems" (Du Bois 1898b) focuses on several matters: the historical and biographical contexts within which Du Bois produced and presented the essay; what the author takes to be Du Bois's convictions regarding the nature and production of scientific, truthful knowledge, and the importance of such knowledge for resolving social problems and thereby contributing to progressive social evolution. These convictions presupposed and were conditioned by a particular conception of social reality in terms of which Du Bois formulated a conception of "social problems," particularly those having to do with "the Negro" in the United States. Finally, the author reviews Du Bois's critique of then-prevailing social science and his proposed "Program for Future Study" of "Negro problems" and concludes with a brief assessment.

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References

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