W.E.B. Du Bois: The Scholar Denied (2016)

At the beginning of the 20^th century, the study of sociology was dominated by the University of Chicago and other, historically white universities. Scholars at these schools conducted “armchair” theorizing – developing theories without actually going into cities and towns to talk to the people they were studying. One man – an African-American scholar and author – changed all that with his groundbreaking research and writing about Black people, their culture, and economic and social situations in urban areas. We talk to a sociologist about W.E.B. Du Bois and his work, and why he was denied the accolades he deserved for developing a new way to research and study various populations in the United States.