W. E. B. Du Bois and the Sociology of the Black Church and Religion, 1897–1914

Robert A. Wortham is associate dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences and professor of sociology at North Carolina Central University.

• W. E. B. Du Bois and the Sociological Study of the Black Church and Religion, 1897–1914: Editor’s IntroductionPart 1: Articles and Book Chapters on the Black Church and Religion 1.The Problem of Amusement 2.Farmville, VA, the Negro Church and Social Class 3.The Negro Church in Philadelphia 4.The Development of a People 5.Religion in the South 6.The Negro in Literature and ArtPart 2: Poetry, Prayers, Editorials and Opinions Related to the Black Church and Religion7.Credo, Litany at Atlanta and A Hymn to the People8.Prayers for Dark People9.Selected Editorials and Opinions on the Black Church and Religion from The CrisisPart 3: Selections from The Souls of Black Folk10.Of the Faith of the Fathers11.Of Alexander Crummell12.The Sorrow SongsPart 4: Atlanta University Conference Studies Addressing the Black Church13.The Negro Church and Social Betterment14.Primitive Negro Religion and the Effect of Transplanting15.Negro Laymen and the Church16.Religious Belief

Sociology emerged as a discipline in the US in the final years of the 19th century. This excellent collection of Du Bois’s early writings on the role religion and the church played in black life situates his early pioneering sociological work within the context of the newly emerging discipline. The volume includes poetry, prayers, editorials, and quantitative and qualitative empirical studies. Fans of Du Bois will be familiar with selections from The Philadelphia Negro (1899) and The Souls of Black Folk (1903). Perhaps Du Bois's most important sociological endeavor is displayed in his Atlanta University Conference Studies (1906–13), which set the stage for his life-long devotion to the development of African Americans and black people globally. This insightful material reveals issues the black clergy faced, how on behalf of congregations the black church dealt with education, health, employment, and a vast range of social and political issues—including slave revolts led by Denmark Vesey and Nat Turner. The writings are an important source for those interested in how Du Bois applied his scientific training to address questions regarding group development under legal segregation. Du Bois intended the conference studies to be longitudinal (repeated every ten years over a 100-year period) to provide empirical evidence of group advancement.Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers.