W.E.B. Du Bois’ Contribution to the Sociological Theory
Having read some of Du Bois’ works I realized that he had definitely made a huge contribution to the sociological theory by creating a completely new approach to sociological study. It was based not only on the objective empirical knowledge but also on his own subjective reflections and impressions, which tend to make his words more reliable in the eyes of popular readers than dry facts. Thus in this work I want to explore Du Bois’ contribution to sociology as well as to point out the differences between his concepts and those of the "founding fathers" (Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, and Max Weber).
First of all, though his work has usually been underestimated, DuBois has clearly proved that his study has a lot to add to sociological theory especially given the fact that he was one of the pioneers in raising issues of racial discrimination and prejudice. Edles and Appelrouth, for example, acknowledge the significance of Du Bois’ study as “it brings to the cannon a ‘clearness of vision’ regarding specific phenomena – most obviously race, but also epistemology, or ‘how we know what we know’” (327). Furthermore, Du Bois tried to substantiate racial issues by applying statistical information and at the same time looking into them from the sociological perspective. He assumed that a thorough sociological research would bring him closer to the solution to racism (Edles and Appelrouth 327).
However, in The Souls of Black Folk Du Bois argued that deep understanding of the problem cannot be achieved only through scientific methods, which were applied in The Philadelphia Negro. Consequently, the sociologist started working with subjectivity since the racial issues are subjective themselves. Employing such an “irrational” method helped Du Bois to increase public awareness of the problem among white Americans who otherwise might have never paid their attention to the problem of discrimination and prejudice. The sociologist was sure that empirical data and statistical information could not help to enhance the conditions in which blacks live (Edles and Appelrouth 346). And here lies the most obvious difference between Du Bois and the “founding fathers”.
I have to admit that actually Du Bois was under the influence of Durkheim, Marx and Weber, and shared a significant portion of their ideas. For example, Max Weber once stated that slaves cannot be considered actors of the economic system as they more resemble commodities traded within it. Therefore slaves had no or very limited liberty and rights. Marx asserted that the overall conditions had changed but the attitude towards blacks remained the same when the slave trade had been abolished. Moreover, newly freed blacks were not granted a right to either vote or hold property ("Marx’s Influence of Du Bois’ Theory"). Du Bois developed this idea by investigating the problems African Americans had to face in their daily lives and prejudices that still existed in the minds of white people. His study is also somewhat similar to the Durkheim’s work in which he presented a theory of “egoistic suicide” happening because of “lack of integration of the individual in the social group” (Edles and Appelrouth 120). Du Bois asserted that African Americans would gradually become extinct unless accepted in the social system and granted the same rights and freedoms as whites. This statement brings his theory closer to Durkheim’s.
Despite the aforementioned similarities, Du Bois’ study has shifted dramatically from the findings of the “founding fathers”. This was largely due to his exploration of subjectivity which can be traced today in the works of postmodernists. In the new wave of sociology which started in the 1980s many scientists insisted that truth can be found only through subjective interpretation or else a scientist would end up basing their work on common prejudices and misbeliefs (Edles and Appelrouth 347). Thus complete objectivity, which was sought by “founding fathers”, is not really desirable, and Du Bois was one of the first to comprehend this notion.
Works cited
Edles, Laura D. and Scott Appelrouth. Sociological Theory in the Classical Era: Text and Readings 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press, 2010. Print.
"Marx’s Influence of Du Bois’ Theory." Golden Social. 21 Aug. 2012. Web. 24 June 2015.
