W.E.B Du Bois and Erving Goffman were two of the most important and well known theorists in sociology. W.E.B Du Bois was an African American sociologist and an activist who studied at Harvard University. He studied sociology customs of the individual. His theoretical work dealt with racism and the color line. He influenced the foundation and direction of Black education. Du Bois’ theoretical work relates to a conflict perspective because of the tension that was overlooked due to all human rights, blacks in particular. Erving Goffman was a professor at the University of California. He was chair at the Ivy League’s University of Pennsylvania, and the president of the American Sociological Association. Goffman’s theoretical concept relates to …show more content…
The critical race theory analyzed the way racism is perpetuated in the law and the interpretation of the law (Ritzer, 66). Critical race theory also used the concept of racialization. Racialization refers to the social processes through which the concept of race is created and attached to a particular groups of people (Ritzer, 66). Du Bois wrote, the most thing that’s hindering African American’s identity is slavery. Slavery was the only thing they felt could define their race. He felt that African Americans had the same perspective as other colored people around the …show more content…
Dramaturgy is a view of social life as a series of dramatic performances akin to those taken place in a theatre (Ritzer, 144). Much of Goffman’s dramaturgy is concerned with the processes by which such disturbances are prevented and dealt with (Ritzer, page 144). In the Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, Goffman developed a new approach to the sociological study of human interaction, due to a mental health court scenario, of what he referred to as “dramaturgical” because of the analogy it had of the theatre to describe how an individual engages in social interaction with others in a performance (Staton et al, page 5). This performance was a way for actors to influence their audience in a given situation. In the addition of the mental health scenario, age, gender, and race relevant. The human relationships observed in the mental health court was analyzed was theorized so Goffman could explain characteristics of human interactions.
In the second chapter of Goffman’s The Presentation of Self, he explained what he meant by having “teams”. He explained that in social life, many performances aren’t conducted just by individuals, but by individuals working with others to present a collective front. Goffman defines a team as “any set of individuals” who operate in staging a single
Rudwick, Elliott. "W. E. B. Du Bois (American Sociologist and Social Reformer)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2014.
Booker T. Washington was an educator and an influential African American leader. His vision was for African Americans to ignore the discrimination and continue working hard in the crafts, industries, and farmlands. W.E.B. & C.B. Du Bois was another highly educated African American thought leader, holding a degree from Harvard University and the University of Berlin. A civil rights leader, scholar, and political thinker, Du Bois believed in the importance of scholarly education to achieve racial progress. The Souls of Black Folk is a collection by W.E.B. Du Bois essays, that clearly defined his personal opinions on education, and his disapproval of Booker T. Washington’s point of view.
In his book, The Scholar Denied: W. E. B. Du Bois and the Birth of Modern Sociology (2015), Aldon D. Morris delves
In “Sociology Hesitant: The Continuing Neglect of W.E.B. Du Bois,” Dan S. Green and Robert A. Wortham describe how W.E.B. Du Bois was one of the first sociologists to conduct empirical research to specifically study human social behavior and yet, throughout history, he is rarely categorized as a sociologist. Du Bois was a well-educated black man who wanted to bring to light “the truth” in society through the discipline of sociology (Green 529). He believed that the truth could be discovered through empirical evidence, and would generate social and policy changes (Green 523). Furthermore, he thought the correct way to conduct research was by following scientific methods of physical science and studying behavioral regularities first hand, however,
First, he breaks down the idea of race as a biologically constructed fact. He argues that race as a biological construction was used to set up a system of oppression that benefitted whites. He counters this construction by claiming that race can be constructed many different ways. Tommy Lott’s article "Du Bois and Locke on the Scientific Study of the Negro” further deconstructs the idea of race as a solely biological construction and establishes that race can be biologically, socially, and culturally constructed. Lott explains how each construction further perpetuates a racial caste, but he explains that the social and cultural construction of race, although false in its ideology about races, is how society is able to allocate a status of superiority or inferiority. Societal statuses are accompanied with privilege and economic advantages. Furthermore, Du Bois explains that white society clings to the established constructions of race because of its ability to create a caste system that affords whites with exclusive economic privileges.
The United States after the Civil War was still not an entirely safe place for African-Americans, especially in the South. Many of the freedoms other Americans got to enjoy were still largely limited to African-Americans at the time. At the beginning of the 20th Century, Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois emerged as black leaders. Their respective visions for African-American society were different however. This paper will argue that Du Bois’s vision for American, although more radical at the time, was essential in the rise of the African-American society and a precursor to the Civil Rights Movement.
In the early 1900’s societies were strictly defined. Members within society regulated rules in regards to gender, social class, racial groups, and education. Socializing and integrating with members of the society outside of your prescribed gender, social, and racial roles were not accepted in historical time periods. Members of society were expected to follow these roles and those whom deviated from them were punished, isolated, or frowned upon. During the early 1900’s author’s Charlotte Perkins Gilman and W.E.B. Du Bois wrote pieces which went against societal standards. Their literature pieces addressed issues in which were progressive issues of their time. However, both their pieces of work have reflected major social
Race has been one of the most outstanding situations in the United States all the way from the 1500s up until now. The concept of race has been socially constructed in a way that is broad and difficult to understand. Social construction can be defined as the set of rules are determined by society’s urges and trends. The rules created by society play a huge role in racialization, as the U.S. creates laws to separate the English or whites from the nonwhites. Europeans, Indigenous People, and Africans were all racialized and victimized due to various reasons. Both the Europeans and Indigenous People were treated differently than African American slaves since they had slightly more freedom and rights, but in many ways they are also treated the same. The social construction of race between the Europeans, Indigenous People, and Africans led to the establishment of how one group is different from the other.
Du Bois's book provides an insight into how African- Americans felt, and handled things during this controversial time. The main topics of The Souls of Black Folk include African- American worldviews, the policies of Booker T Washington, the impact of segregation and discrimination upon black folk, stereotypes, African- American history and spirituality, and generl feelings possesed by African- Americans of this time. Du Bois makes some very stron point and includes his own perspective in his writing. Du Bois even created his own ideals of how black folks could achieve complete freedom. In his opinion, the most important aspects of life that African-Americans should be granted with are, the right to an education, the right to vote, and the right to be treated justly and as an equal. This is an apperant opinion of his throughout the entir...
Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois are two incredibly famous civil rights activists in United States history. Although they both sought to uplift blacks socially and economically across the country, they clashed over the best strategy for doing so. Coming from vastly different backgrounds, it’s understandable as to why they disagreed. However, as is evident by our current societal problems, Du Bois was the one who had the correct plan. That doesn’t mean that Washington’s ideas were wrong, but they were a temporary solution to a permanent and systematic problem.
Adopted into sociology by Erving Goffman, he developed most terms and the idea behind dramaturgical analysis in his 1959 book The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. This book lays out the process of human social interaction, sometimes called "impression management". Goffman makes the distinction between "front stage" and "back stage" behavior. “Front stage" actions are visible to the audience and are part of the performance. We change our hair color, eye color, complextion. Wearing make-up, the way our hair is styled, the clothes we wear. The demeanor we present to the world to the. All of these things lead to an outward appearance of what we want others to think we are. People engage in "back stage" behaviors when no audience is present. We whine and moan about the customers we deal with. Hair goes un-styled, make is wiped off. Clothing is comfortable and unrestricting. When a person conducts themselves in certain way not consistent with social expectations, it is often done secretly if this ...
Critical Race Theory (CRT) comes from the scholarship of Critical Legal Studies (CLS) which has observed the continuing domination and power of some groups such males and whites over some other groups and it has argued that political and social change was necessary (Taylor, 2009). Derrick A. Bell, an African American, was the first who had tried to establish an agenda in which colonialism, race, and racism would have an important role in intellectual legal...
For this paper, I will be focusing on Erving Goffman’s concept of dramaturgy. Erving Goffman was a sociologist who studied social interaction, and is well known for his work on ‘the self.’ His book, Presentation of Self, continues to be an important and relevant book in sociology since it explains why social interaction within humans is important. In his theory, Goffman explains that people are like actors performing on a stage because of how they live their lives. Drama is used as a metaphor for how an individual presents themselves to society.
In 1903 black leader and intellectual W.E.B. Du Bois wrote an essay in his collection The Souls of Black Folk with the title “Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others.” Both Washington and Du Bois were leaders of the black community in the 19th and 20th century, even though they both wanted to see the same outcome for black Americans, they disagreed on strategies to help achieve black social and economic progress. History shows that W.E.B Du Bois was correct in racial equality would only be achieved through politics and higher education of the African American youth.
Erving Goffman uses a dramaturgical perspective in his discussion of impression management. Goffman’s analysis of the social world primarily centres around studies of the self and relationship to one’s identity created within a society. Through dramaturgy, Goffman uses the metaphor of performance theatre to convey the nature of human social interaction, drawing from the renowned quote “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players” from Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It.’ Much of our exploration of Goffman’s theories lies within the premise that individuals engage in impression management, and achieve a successful or unsuccessful performance. Impression management refers to the ways in which individuals attempt to control the impression that others have of them stemming from a basic human desire to be viewed by others in a favourable light. Goffman argues that our impressions are managed through a dramaturgical process whereby social life is played out like actors performing on a stage and our actions are dictated by the roles that we are playing in particular situations. In a social situation, the stage is where the encounter takes place, the actors are the people involved in the interaction, and the script is the set of social norms in which the actors must abide by. Just as plays have a front stage and back stage, this also applies in day-to-day interactions. Goffman’s theory of the front and back stage builds on Mead’s argument of the phases of the self. The front stage consists of all the public and social encounters with other people. It is similar to the ‘me’ which Mead talks about, as it involves public encounters as well as how others perceive you. Meanwhile the back stage, like the ‘I’, is the time spent with oneself reflecting on the interactions. Therefore, according to Goffman’s dramaturgical