Open AccessDouble Consciousness in Today's Black America
Author(s) -
L.E. Walker
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
stance
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1943-1899
pISSN - 1943-1880
DOI - 10.33043/s.12.1.116-125
Subject(s) - double consciousness , consciousness , oppression , prejudice (legal term) , race (biology) , white (mutation) , slang , sociology , psychology , social psychology , gender studies , epistemology , political science , philosophy , politics , law , linguistics , biochemistry , chemistry , gene
In The Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B. Du Bois introduces double consciousness as a result of racial prejudice and oppression. Explained as a state of confliction felt by black Americans, Du Bois presents double consciousness as integral to understanding the black experience. Later philosophers question the importance of double consciousness to current race discussions, but this paper contends that double consciousness provides valuable insights into black and white relations. To do this, I will utilize the modern slang term, “Oreo,” to highlight how a perceived incompatibility between blacks and whites could prevent America from achieving a greater unity.