Sociological Souls of Black Folk

Robert A. Wortham is professor of sociology at North Carolina Central University.

• Chapter 1 The Sociological Souls of Black Folk: Editor's IntroductionPart 2 Part I: The Sociological Souls of Black FolkChapter 3 Chapter 1. Strivings of the Negro PeopleChapter 4 Chapter 2. A Negro Schoolmaster in the New SouthChapter 5 Chapter 3. The Religion of the American NegroChapter 6 Chapter 4. The Freedman's BureauChapter 7 Chapter 5. The Negro as He Really IsChapter 8 Chapter 6. The Evolution of Negro LeadershipChapter 9 Chapter 7. The Relation of the Negroes to the Whites in the SouthChapter 10 Chapter 8. The Training of Black MenPart 11 Part II: Contextual Sociological Essays: 1897-1900Chapter 12 Chapter 9. The Negro in Business: The Results of the InvestigationChapter 13 Chapter 10. The Negro and CrimeChapter 14 Chapter 11. The American Negro in ParisChapter 15 Chapter 12. The Conservation of the RacesChapter 16 Chapter 13.Careers Open to College-Bred NegroesChapter 17 Chapter 14. The Problem of AmusementChapter 18 Chapter 15. The Negro in the Black Belt: Some Social SketchesChapter 19 Chapter 16. The Georgia Negro: A Social Study - Editor's Reconstruction

By lifting up out of the scholarly reservoir the essays of Du Bois, Wortham (North Carolina Central Univ.) calls attention to one of the most significant works by one of the most gifted scholars of sociological thought in the modern era. Wortham's contribution raises one major academic question immediately: why has Du Bois not been given the academic accolades of other scholarly giants in the discipline of sociology? Wortham makes the point that The Souls of Black Folk has been mostly viewed as a classic in African American literature, or for scholars studying the African American experience. But it has not been seriously considered a major scholarly contribution within the discipline of sociology. Also, why are not Du Bois's works, especially the essays, a part of the core curriculum within the discipline of sociology, including a focus on Du Bois's research methodology and conceptual and analytical skills as demonstrated in the essays? Wortham's presentation, including the reconstructed essays, makes one of the most significant contributions to the modern era of sociological thought. And he raises a most significant question: where is Du Bois's place among the discipline's scholarly giants, such as Tönnies, Weber, Parson, and Durkheim? Summing Up: Essential. All academic levels/libraries.