L. L. Bernard: Sociological Theorist (1881-1951)

1951 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Read Bain
Keyword(s):  
Sociological Theorist

scholarly journals SOCIOLOGY AND THE THEORY OF DOUBLE CONSCIOUSNESS

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Itzigsohn ◽  
Karida Brown
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Sociological Theory ◽  
Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
The Self ◽  
Double Consciousness ◽  
American Experience ◽  
Du Bois ◽  
Two Stages ◽  
Self Formation ◽  
Sociological Theorist

AbstractIn this paper we emphasize W. E. B. Du Bois’s relevance as a sociological theorist, an aspect of his work that has not received the attention it deserves. We focus specifically on the significance of Du Bois’s theory of Double Consciousness. This theory argues that in a racialized society there is no true communication or recognition between the racializing and the racialized. Furthermore, Du Bois’s theory of Double Consciousness puts racialization at the center of the analysis of self-formation, linking the macro structure of the racialized world with the lived experiences of racialized subjects. We develop our argument in two stages: The first section locates the theory of Double Consciousness within the field of classical sociological theories of the self. We show how the theory addresses gaps in the theorizing of self-formation of James, Mead, and Cooley. The second section presents an analysis of how Du Bois deploys this theory in his phenomenological analysis of the African American experience. The conclusions point out how the theory of Double Consciousness is relevant to contemporary debates in sociological theory.

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