W.E.B. Du Bois and the Problems of the Twenty-First Century

In this study, Rabaka (ethnic studies, U. of Colorado at Boulder) seeks to demonstrate the continuing relevance of the work of W.E.B. Du Bois for critical theory, radical politics, and social movements--a relevance that has been obscured by one-sided and arbitrary biographical and intellectual histories of Du Bois. He argues that while Du Bois may have begun his analysis of history, politics, and culture by theorizing race and racism, his anti-racism must be understood in connection to his anti-colonial, anti-capitalist, and anti-sexist social theorizing. He also seeks to highlight the interdisciplinary nature and theoretical richness of Du Bois's corpus and demonstrate the ways in which Du Bois's work favorably compare to the deficiencies of Marxist critical theory and the critical theory of the Frankfurt School. Annotation c2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Reiland Rabaka is associate professor of Africana studies in the Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he is also affiliate professor of women and gender studies and a research fellow at the Center for Studies of Ethnicity and Race in America (CSERA).