The Education of Black People: Ten Critiques, 1906 - 1960 [Paperback]

W. E. B. DuBois (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2001 | ISBN-10: 1583670432 | ISBN-13: 978-1583670439

Undoubtedly the most influential black intellectual of the twentieth century and one of America's finest historians, W.E.B. DuBois knew that the liberation of the African American people required liberal education and not vocational training. He saw education as a process of teaching certain timeless values: moderation, an avoidance of luxury, a concern for courtesy, a capacity to endure, a nurturing love for beauty. At the same time, DuBois saw education as fundamentally subversive. This was as much a function of the well-established role of educationfrom Plato forwardas the realities of the social order under which he lived. He insistently calls for great energy and initiative; for African Americans controlling their own lives and for continued experimentation and innovation, while keeping education's fundamentally radical nature in view.

Though containing speeches written nearly one-hundred years ago, and on a subject that has seen more stormy debate and demagoguery than almost any other in recent history, The Education of Black People approaches education with a timelessness and timeliness, at once rooted in classical thought that reflects a remarkably fresh and contemporary relevance.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

W.E.B. DuBois (1868-1963) was a seminal educator, author, editor, and civil rights leader. His books include The Souls of Black Folk, Color and Democracy, and The World and Africa.

Product Details

• Paperback: 188 pages
• Publisher: Monthly Review Press (June 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583670432
• ISBN-13: 978-1583670439
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #286,351 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic for Blacks in Higher Education, August 1, 1998

By 

(Larry L. Rowley) [e-mail] (Durham, North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Education of Black People: Ten Critiques, 1906-1960 (Hardcover)

This book is the only collection of Du Bois's major thoughts and insights on the role of higher education for African Americans. Oddly enough no publisher would print these essays during Du Bois's lifetime. However, Herbert Aptheker was able to have them published after Du Bois's death. This book is the most comprehensive thinking of Du Bois on higher education. The essays primarily cover the role of Black colleges as well as the importance of financial and intellectual independence of Black education institutions. He makes it exceedingly clear that education for full social equality and Black uplift must be the hallmark of Black educators and education institutions. His essay on "The Field and Function of the Negro College" makes an excellent institutional blueprint to accompany his TWO essays on the talented tenth (1903 AND 1948)which outlined his views on individual responsibilities of educated Blacks. As African American higher ed institutions and op! portunities are on unstable ground (in light of anti-affirmative action policies and the financial distress of HBCU's) the current generation of Black educators, policy makers, and scholars would do well to harken to the sage advice offered by the greatest African American scholar-activist that ever lived. There is much to be found in these essays that has relevance to the challenges we face in the coming century. As an African American doctoral candidate in higher education I find comfort in knowing that I have Dr. Du Bois's words, insights, and legacy at my fingertips. As this book is out of print, I would suggest that others who do not own this volume petition the publisher to renew it. It's a treasure to be cherished.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required Reading, December 31, 2001

By 

Fred McGhee "fredmcghee" (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Education of Black People: Ten Critiques, 1906 - 1960 (Paperback)

Thankfully this book has been reprinted, along with a new 2001 introduction by Herbert Aptheker (who puts in a gentle "slam" of David Levering Lewis's two Pulitzer Prize winning biographies for good measure). The picture of Du Bois on the new cover is another one of those "I am God and You are not worthy" type of pictures. I've gone and made it one of my screen savers.

Du Bois's prescient and practical advice is, as usual, pretty much on target. It is also interesting to observe the evolution in his thinking in the fifty-four years covered in this slim (you can read this book in a couple of sittings) volume. He answers some eternally debated questions: To whom should college presidents and administrations be ultimately accountable? (Alumni) What is the point of a liberal education? (character) etc.

This book goes far beyond the "Booker T vs. W.E.B." educational debates that dominated 100 years ago (and that most people remember). It provides specific pedagogical advice and is written in the typical Du Boisian style; lucid, straightforward, inspirational. The man lived longer than most, and did a whole lot while he was alive. In its own way this little book is just as important, if not more so, than the other little book for which he is justifably famous, "The Souls of Black Folk."