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January 25, 2005
Du Bois & the Souls of Black Folk
For more information on the African-American Authors reading group this is in reference to, click here then click on "Offerings" in the menu bar. The reading group is listed among the offerings.
In the Souls of Black Folk, du Bois writes that he has two selves at war in him: Negro & American. We talked about how du Bois describes the causes of this split and we also talked about what du Bois thinks should be done about the split (and of course we talked about many other things!). While reading his book, I took du Bois very seriously that he had these two selves in him and found myself going along with him that this sort of split is the "problem of the 20th century". But it came out in the conversation that not all of us, not even those of us who are African-American, necessarily treat our identity as a race or nationality as the most important. Perhaps these are still self-identifications you have the freedom to accept and to treat as important. Is there really this freedom? Why didn't du Bois feel this sort of freedom?
As I mentioned in the discussion, I was also struck by how, in his chapter on the Reconstruction & the rise & fall of the Freedmen's Bureau, du Bois says little about the "necessary reparations" to former slaves. And elsewhere he describes the labor expended during slavery as "gifts" to America. If he's really treating slave labor as a gift, he doesn't seem to be speaking reparations rhetoric. If it's true that du Bois is not a big reparationist (I'm not sure if he is or not), that seems to me to go along with his striving to overcome his split self for a more unified self. As long as reparations are demanded, doesn't that lead us into an us vs. them mentality? If so, wouldn't that promote the inner split du Bois felt between being Negro & being American?
I also noticed that du Bois seemed to be working with two concepts of America: "white America", on the one hand, and then, on the other hand, a fuller concept of America which includes as part of its essence America's Negro population & culture. He noted more than once (if I remember correctly) that America would not be America without the Negro. In the struggle with his two selves, du Bois said he did not want to be "bleached" by America (white America), but wanted to merge his two selves, to be Negro and American. If America really already is essentially Negro, then what exactly is required for this merger? What is the nature of the challenge?
Alright! That's just some thoughts on my mind. Thanks everybody for coming and comment on whatever you like, even if I didn't mention it above and even if you didn't come to the discussion. This is all in relation to a reading group: "African-American Authors". Contact me, Drew, for info on the next meeting, when we'll be reading Marcus Garvey. My email is chastain@tulane.com or go to www.lyceumproject.com. - Drew
Posted by lyceum at January 25, 2005 11:32 PM