Cosmopolitanism in the Fictive Imagination of W. E. B. Du Bois

Toward the Humanization of a Revolutionary Art

Inbunden, Engelska, 2015

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This booktraces W.E.B. Du Bois’s fictionalization of history in his five major works of fiction and in his debut short story The Souls of Black Folk through a thematic framework of cosmopolitanism. In texts like The Negro and Black Folk: Then and Now, Du Bois argues that the human race originated from a single source, a claim authenticated by anthropologists and the Human Genome Project. This book breaks new ground by demonstrating the fashion in which the variants of cosmopolitanism become a profound theme in Du Bois’s contribution to fiction. In general, cosmopolitanism claims that people belong to a single community informed by common moral values, function through a shared economic nomenclature, and are part of political systems grounded in mutual respect. This book addresses Du Bois’s works as important additions to the academy and makes a significant contribution to literature by first demonstrating the way in which fiction could be utilized in discussing historical accounts in order to reach a global audience. “The Coming of John”, The Quest of the Silver Fleece, Dark Princess: A Romance, and The Black Flame, an important trilogy published sequentially as The Ordeal of Mansart, Mansart Builds a School, and Worlds of Color are grounded in historical occurrences and administer as social histories providing commentary on Reconstruction, Jim Crow segregation, African American leadership, school desegregation, the Pan-African movement, imperialism, and colonialism in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2015-12-03
Mått159 x 239 x 20 mm
Vikt454 g
FormatInbunden
SpråkEngelska
SerieCritical Africana Studies
Antal sidor216
FörlagBloomsbury Publishing Plc
ISBN9781498518314

Tillhör följande kategorier

Kolonialism och imperialism inom Historia och arkeologi
Litteraturvetenskap inom Skönlitteratur
Politisk aktivism inom Samhälle och politik
Litteraturvetenskap inom Skönlitteratur
Etnicitet inom Samhälle och politik

Introduction:African Antiquity and the African Diaspora in ContextPart OneChapter 1: Classical Humanism in The Quest of the Silver Fleece and The Souls of Black FolkChapter 2: Good Character Challenges Hegemony in The Quest of the Silver FleeceChapter 3: Heuristic Appraisal of Avant-Garde Cosmopolitanism in The Quest of the Silver FleeceChapter 4: Discrepant Cosmopolitanism in the Imagination of W.E.B. Du Bois in Dark Princess: A RomanceChapter 5: Culture as a Universal Symbol of Cosmopolitanism in Dark Princess: A RomanceChapter 6: Beyond the Color Line: Black Cosmopolitanism in The Black FlamePart TwoChapter 7: Genesis of Traditional Pan-Africanism and Its Aftermath Chapter 8: A Botched Continental Pan-Africanism Master Plan and Friends of W.E.B. Du Bois in Africa and the Caribbean Chapter 9: W.E.B. Du Bois, the Inspirations of Gandhi, and the Pan-Asian Connection Chapter 10: Barack Obama Epitomizes Du Bois’ Vision in Dark Princess: Nkrumah and Du Bois Emerge as Unheralded CosmopolitansEpilogue: The Great Redeemer

Noted primarily as a sociologist, a historian, a journalist, an essayist, and a civil rights activist, Du Bois (1868–1963) also wrote fiction, in it demonstrating his leadership in the genre of revolutionary art. In examining Du Bois, Doku artfully exposes the historical exigencies of imperialism, colonialism, segregation, and injustice, primarily in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean. The first half of the book (which derives from Doku's doctoral dissertation) concentrates on two major historical novels—The Quest of the Silver Fleece (1911) and Dark Princess (1928)—in which Du Bois explores the possibility of overcoming systemic racism. The second half gives a historical and practical account of Pan-Africanism and global recognition of human rights. The author looks at the historical, political, and sociological implications of cosmopolitanism as the ultimate political and moral goal of humanity. An original contribution to Africana studies and the sociology of diaspora, this book offers a genuinely interdisciplinary analysis of Du Bois’s literary fiction. The book ends with a panegyric on President Barack Obama. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above.