Intended Audience
Aaron Yates will discuss major developments in Black intellectual approaches to emancipation. His talk will examine the life of W.E.B. Du Bois and the contextual evolution of his perspectives on knowledge and social action.
In a career spanning more than seventy years, the work of W. E. B. Du Bois demonstrates a profound lifelong commitment to the promotion of justice and racial equality. As one of the preeminent African American intellectuals of the twentieth century, Du Bois used his training in science and arts to challenge the Social Darwinist and scientific racism that dominated the intellectual life of Western civilization. Through pioneering empirical studies of the material and social conditions of people of African descent in the United States (and beyond), Du Bois sought to use the power of science to refute theories of racial inferiority. Later he combined his scientific work with journalism and other forms of political activism to reach a broader audience and mobilize communities in the struggle for equality. Du Bois’s intellectual production and political activity continuously adapted to the changing conditions in the world and America, and he was never afraid to revise his perspective in light of new information or experience. In this talk I will present an overview of some of the major developments in Black intellectual approaches to civil rights and emancipation using the life of Du Bois as a prism through which to analyze different aspects of the movement and their connections to major world events.