First published in 1920, this groundbreaking work by the pioneering African American scholar W. E. B. Du Bois (1868-1963) is not only original and probing but also experimental in presentation, ranging from detailed sociopolitical 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 labor relations.Many of Du Bois's criticisms of a world social and economic system that marginalizes people of color still resonate today, especially in debates over globalization. Another perennially relevant issue addressed in this book is the fate of Africa after colonialism. Du Bois's farsightedness in advocating for women's rights, in emphasizing 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.
