W.E.B. Du Bois: An Encyclopedia - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0313296650 ISBN 13: 9780313296659

Publisher: Greenwood, 2001

Synopsis

Carrying W.E.B. Du Bois from his birth in Massachusetts in 1868 to his death in Ghana in 1963, this concise encyclopedia covers all of the highlights of his life--his studying at Fisk, Harvard, and Berlin, his tiff with Booker T. Washington, his role with the NAACP and Pan-Africanism, his writings, his globe trotting, and his exile in Ghana. With contributions by leading scholars and a foreword by David Levering Lewis, the book provides a complete overview of Du Bois's life. Featuring the highlights of his life, the events and personalities that influenced him, his intellectual contributions, and his activism, this book provides a complete understanding of this highly influential intellectual activist.

With the conclusion of the Cold War, there is the opportunity to obtain a fuller, more complete understanding of Du Bois' entire life. Providing full coverage of his latter crucial years--often ignored in earlier works--this book provides the latest scholarly insights, including a major entry by prizewinning scholar Brenda Gayle Plummer.

About this title

About the Author

Gerald Horne is professor of African American Studies and John and Rebecca Moores Professor of History at the University of Houston and author of more than two dozen books, including Race Woman: The Lives of Shirley Graham Du Bois.

Reviews

A brief preface notes that "this book seeks to provide new insight into the protean life of W. E. B. Du Bois by examining individuals, occurrences, themes, places, organizations, and the like." Entries are arranged alphabetically, from Accommodations versus struggle to World War I. Each is signed and includes a list of suggested further reading. A chronology provides historical perspective. The general bibliography not only leads to selected writings of Du Bois, including his poetry, but also offers additional resources on issues of concern to Du Bois, such as birth control, colonialism, and anti-Semitism.

The encyclopedia aims to offer "entries that point to the leading influences on his rich and instructive life." Subjects include family members; such supporters as James Weldon Johnson and Paul Robeson; and those who, like Booker T. Washington, did not share Du Bois' views. Various aspects of Du Bois' activism are fleshed out in Pan-Africanism and Socialism/Communism, to cite two examples. There are entries on his writings and scholarly pursuits (The Crisis, Encyclopedia projects) and his relation to the arts (Drama, Poetry). Historic events, such as the Brownsville Raid and the cold war; world leaders, such as Mao Zedong and Theodore Roosevelt; and places, such as Africa and China, are included; but discussions always center on their influence on Du Bois' attitude and involvement.

This highly readable work is suitable for public and academic libraries. It is a tool that provides both facts and the sinew that joins those facts into a comprehensive portrait of Du Bois and his many roles. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

As multifaceted as the man himself, this first encyclopedic treatment of the 20th-century writer, scholar, and activist references events, people, places, themes, issues, cultural products, and organizations from Du Bois's life (1868-1963), which spanned three continents. Arranged alphabetically and signed by highly recognized scholars, the 137 substantial entries range broadly, covering Du Bois's involvement in literature, U.S. and world politics, journalism, education, and the arts. Included is the esoteric four-page "Encyclopedia Projects," which features a less-significant aspect of Du Bois's life. The entries are sandwiched between a foreword, brief preface, introduction, and chronology in the beginning and a subject bibliography, list of contributors, and index at the end. The bibliography also includes a section for web sites on Du Bois, Pan Africanism, and his classic The Souls of Black Folk. Noted Du Bois biographer David Levering Lewis wrote the foreword, while Horne (Race Woman) and Young (director of black studies, Berea Coll.) coedited the volume. All students and scholars looking for information on Du Bois will appreciate this resource. Recommended for all public and academic libraries. Sherri L. Barnes, Univ. of California, Santa Barbara
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Greenwood
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0313296650
• ISBN 13: 9780313296659
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 280
• Editor: Horne Gerald, Young Mary E.