Who was W. E. B. Du Bois and what concept did he develop regarding self-perception in a racist society?

• A. An African American sociologist who described double consciousness as the internal sense of looking at oneself through the eyes of a racist society.
• B. A white abolitionist who argued for immediate emancipation in war.
• C. A British economist associated with classical liberalism.
• D. A Civil War general who led Reconstruction policies.

Answer: (A)

Double consciousness describes the divided self that emerges when a person from a marginalized group must see themselves through the biased lens of a dominant, racist society. W. E. B. Du Bois, an African American sociologist and a founder of the NAACP, argued that Black Americans live with two perspectives at once: their own sense of identity and the way white society defines them. This creates a “two-ness” or inner conflict as they try to reconcile these conflicting views and navigate a world that devalues them. That’s why this concept is central to his work.

The other descriptions don’t fit Du Bois: he wasn’t a white abolitionist advocating immediate emancipation, nor a British economist, nor a Civil War general involved in Reconstruction.