The Souls of White Folk
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1910, expanded 1920
- Form
- Essay
- Language
- English
- Length
- Short · 20 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Moderate2 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendDarkwater, Voices from Within the VeilDover, 1999The essay in its final form, with the rest of Darkwater, in an inexpensive reprint.
These links go straight to Amazon and Bookshop.org and earn this site nothing today. Prices are the same either way. How this works.
An essay first published in The Independent in 1910 and revised for Darkwater in 1920 after the First World War. Du Bois writes as one who sees white people from behind the veil and knows their souls; he argues that the idea of personal whiteness is a modern invention, that the war in Europe was a fight over the spoils of the darker world, and that European claims to civilisation cannot survive the record of colonial exploitation. The essay is an early statement of the link between racism and empire.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns The Souls of White Folk are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.