The Souls of Black Folk

The Souls of Black Folk: Essays and Sketches
Title page of second edition
AuthorW. E. B. Du Bois
IllustratorJonathan Birgen
Cover artistJonathan Birgen
LanguageEnglish
SubjectRace and ethnicity in the United States
African-American culture
GenreEssays, sociology
PublisherA. C. McClurg & Co., Chicago
Publication date
1903
Publication placeUnited States
973.0496073
LC ClassE185.6 .D797
TextThe Souls of Black Folk: Essays and Sketches at Wikisource

The Souls of Black Folk: Essays and Sketches is a 1903 work of American literature by W. E. B. Du Bois. It is a seminal work in the history of sociology and a cornerstone of African-American literature.

The book contains several essays on race, some of which had been published earlier in The Atlantic Monthly. To develop this work, Du Bois drew from his own experiences as an African American in American society. Outside of its notable relevance in African-American history, The Souls of Black Folk also holds an important place in social science as one of the early works in the field of sociology.

In The Souls of Black Folk, Du Bois used the term "double consciousness", perhaps taken from Ralph Waldo Emerson ("The Transcendentalist" and "Fate"), applying it to the idea that black people must have two fields of vision at all times. They must be conscious of how they view themselves, as well as being conscious of how the world views them.