on the reading of riddles: rethinking du boisian "double consciousness" • by ernest allen, jr

8/13/2019 On the Reading of Riddles: Rethinking Du Boisian "Double Consciousness" by Ernest Allen, Jr.

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ON THE RE NG OF R LES

Rethi nki ng Du Boi si an Doubl e Consci ousness

Ernest Al l en, J r

i n Exi st ence i n Bl ack n Anthol ogy of Bl ackExi stent i al Phi l osophy, ed Lew s R Gordon

New York and London Rout l edge, 1996) , 49-68

LMOST centur y ago B u Boi s posi t ed the cl ai m t h a t Af r i canAmer i cans had i n t e r n a l i z e da s et of power f ul , mut ual l y i ncompat i bl e i d e a l s The conundrum e s u l t i n gf r o mt h i si n t e r n a l i z a t i o nhe be l i e ve dt hr eat ened t osabotage the s t r u g g l ef or f u l ldemocr at i c r i g h t sand econom c equa l i t ywi t h-i n the Uni t ed S t a t e s One ever f e e l shi s twoness, wrote Du Boi s - anAmer i can, a Negro two s o u l s t wo thoughts, two unr econci l abl e s t r i v i n g s .

Du Boi s [ 1969] 45) Th i sand other equal l y dr amat i c as s e r t i onswer e s et f o r t hi i f b l i l t d wi t hi n months of each other i 1897

chapter 3


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ON THE READNG OF R DDLES

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ON THE RE DNG OF R DDLES

Whi l e bot h of Du Bo i s not i ons t ended t o evoke a vague senseof cul t ur e i n oneway or another , i n nei t her case was t he agony whi ch he depi ct ed t he r e s u l tof a

br oad- based cul t u r a l conf l i c tof t he s o r t r e f e r r e dt o above Sheat hed i n t he l an-

guage of l ar ge- s cal ec u l t u r a ldi f f er enc e,t he f i r s tant agoni sma c t u a l l ysprang f r o ma

narrowr ange of i deal s ut t he second one a l s omani f est ed i t s e l fw t hi n an u n s t a t -ed cont ext t he p o l i t i c a li mpl i cati ons posed by t he exi st ence of aut onomous bl ack

soci a land c ul t ur ali n s t i t u t i o n s I n ei t her case, r a t h e r than cel ebr ati ng an authenti c dual consci ousness as a t o o l f or achi evi ng enr i ched c ul t ur alor p o l i t i c a lsynthe-ses or as a pl at f or m f or gener at i ng mul t i pl e l e v e l sof under st andi ng- i n ot herwor ds, as a p ot ent i a lsol ut i on i n whol e or i n part Du Boi s t r e a t e dt he quest i onof t woness c h i e f l yas a ( r ea lor i magi nar y) pr obl em even ashe af f i r med t he d e s i r -

a b i l i t yof pr eser vi ng c e r t a i nof i t s( u ns pec i f i ed)f or ms El sewher e ( Al l en 1991- 2)I have el abor at ed i n some d e t a i l upon how t he s u bj ec tof t woness was handl edi n The Soul s of Bl ack Fol k Here, f or t he mos t p a r t , however , our concer n wi l li nvol ve a c l os er eadi ng of Conser vat i on of t he Races f r amed aga i ns tt he back-dr op of Du Boi s compani on work

S VI NG SOULS DOUBLE CONSCI OUSNESS S NEG TI ON

I n The Soul s of Bl ack Fol k doubl e consci ousness was def i ned as a sense of al ways

l ooki ng at one ss e l ft hr ough t he eyesof o t h e r s ,of measur i ng one ssoul by t he t apeof a wor l d t h a t l ooks on i n amused cont empt and pi t y ( Duboi s [ 1969] 45) Thi si snot how t he term was gener al l y under st ood by pr om nent 19t h- cent ur y West er nw r i t e r s ,however , even as t hey i mpar t ed t h e i rown s p e c i f i cmeani ngs t o i t Ral phWal do Emer son, f or exampl e, empl oyed doubl e consci ousness i n a mul t i t ude ofways t o s i g n i f ya f e l t t ens i o nsbet ween t he i ndi vi dual and s o c i e t yas wel l as

bet ween t he opposi t i onal p u l l sof f a t eand l i b e r t y( or ne ce ss i t yand f r eedom , andi n a more el evated sense, t o s i g n i f yt he d i v i s i o nbet ween t he mor t al and i mmor t als el v esof the i ndi vi dual More des c r i p t i v el y,he al s o spoke of t he doubl e con-sci ousness of dr eams ( Emer son [ 1966] 161) ,as wel l as i ns t a nc eswhen t he man

and t he poet show l i k ea doubl e consci ousness ( Emer son [ 1972] 155) 4I n t he case of t he i ndi vi dual ver sus s oc i et y,Emerson bel i eved t h a t s oc i et y sver y

f uncti oni ng r equi r ed t he squander i ng of i ndi vi dual c r e a t i v i t y,t he subor di nat i on of

one sa c t i v i t i e st o dreary r outi ni zat i on on t he ot her si de, t he t r u ef l ower i ngof i n d i -

vi dual c r e a t i v i t ynecessi t ated one s w t hdr awal f r o ms oc i et alstructures-a course

whi ch, i ff ol l owed by al lof i t smember s , woul d soon l ead t o a c ol l ap se Thus con-demned, s p i r i tf o r e v e rf ound i t s e l fat odds w t h under st andi ng The wor st f e a t u r e


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ON THE RE DNG OF N LES

a di s e; and,wi t h t he p r o g r e s sof l i f et he t wo d i s c o ve rno grea te rd i s p o s i t i o nt or e c o n c i l et hemse l ves ( Emer son[1903] 353- 4)

As f or t he cont r adi ct i onbet ween f r eedomand ne ce s s i t y,t he path t o s a l v a t i o n

was not t he evasi on of doubl e consci ousness, but rather i t sembr ac e A man mustr i d e a l t e r n a t e l yon t he horses of hi s pr i va t eand publ i c nat ure . ( Emer son [ 1904] 47) And f i n a l l y,i n one of hi smany ser mons Emrson a l s opoi nt ed out t he d i s -t i n c t i o nof t he out er and i nner s e l f as yet anot her mani f est at i on of s e l f - r e f l e c t i vdoubl i ng t h a t i s t h e r ear e two s e l v e s ,one whi ch does or approves t ha t whi ch t heot her does not and approves not ; or wi t hi nt h i serr i ng passi onat e mor t al s e l f ,s i t sasupr eme cal mi mmor t al m nd, whose power s I do not know, but i t i sst r onger than

I am . ( Emer son [ 1938] : 200) For hi s p a r t ,Ar nol d Rampersad not es t h a t i n 1893 t he psychol ogi st Oswal d

Kupe wr ot e of t he phenomnon of doubl e consci ousness of t he di vi deds e l f char act er i zedby t he exi s tence of a mre or l e s scompl et e separ at i on of t woaggr egat es of consci ous process of t ent i mes of e n t i r e l yopposi t e character

( Ramper sad 74) Wthout s p e c i f i c a l l ya l l u d i n gt o t he t e r m ot her 19t h- cent ur yWest er n t hi nk er sexpanded upon t he concept aswel l For exampl e, W l l i a mJ ames( as Rampersad a l s o observed) spoke of t he e xi s t e nc eof si mul t aneousl y e x i s t i n gconsci ousness, a s t a t eJ ames consi der ed t o be beyond t he pal e of t he nor mal br ai n- condi t i on - - a mal ady ( J ames 399) And, f i n a l l y ,how was i t pos s i bl et oi gnore t he i mmor t al l ament of J ohannWol f gang von Goet he s Faust t h a t Twos o ul s ,a l a s r e s i d ewi t hi nmy b r e a s t ,and each i seager f or a separat i on ?

One r e a d i l yper cei ves t h a t Du Bo i s own use of t he t e r m doubl e consci ous-ness, coul d not e a s i l yavoi d t he bat t ery of connot at i ons commnl y a s s oc i a t e dwi t hi t not wi t hst andi ngt he f a c t t h a t hi s s p e c i f i cdef i ni t i onwas of an al t oget her d i f f e r -

ent nat ur e For what Du Boi s s t r i c t l ymeant by t he phrase was t he absence of t r u es e l f - c ons c i ous n es son t he part of bl ack Amer i cans, t he i n a b i l i t yt o r ecogni ze one sbl ack s e l fot her than t hr ough t he medi at ed v e i l of t he unacknowl edgi ng whi t egaze I n t h i s i ns t a nc e ,Du Bo i s f r ame of r ef er ence can be traced ul t i mat el y t oHegel s phenomenol ogy, where true sel f - consci ousness- supposedl yl acki ng i n t heNegro was dependent upon t he mut ual r ecogni t i on of human bei ngs by oneanot her ( s e eAdel l ) Thi s negat i on of sel f - consci ousness Du Boi s ascr i bed t o t het wi nned c o l l a p s eof s p e c i f i e d doubl e i d e a l s of whi ch he o f f e r e df our exampl es

t he doubl e- ai med s t r uggl eof t he bl ack a r t i s a n t o escape whi t e cont empt ont he one hand, and on t he ot her t o pl ough and na i land di g f or a povert y- s t r i cken


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011 THE RE NG OF R LES

human val ues )was an unknown quant i t y t o hi m and f i n a l l yt he bl ack a r t i s twho,al t oget her i ncapabl e of expr essi ng a senseof beaut y other t han t he one r eveal edthrough t he soul - beaut y of hi s own race ,a race whi ch hi sl a r g e rpot ent i alaudi -

ence despi sed Du Boi s [ 1969] 46- 7)

I n addi t i on t o t he dubi ousness of a t t r i b u t i n gsuch val uest o Af r i canAmer i cansi n gene r a l , u Bo i s war r i ng i deal s wer e i n c o n s i s t e n t l yf r amed Whi l e l l fourexampl es spoke e i t h e rt o t he n ec es s i t yor d i f f i c u l t yof comng t o t er ms w t h whi t ei d e a l s i n or der t o l e ve r a geappr ovi ng r ecogni t i onf r o mt he whi t e communi t y, t henat ur e o t he count er - i deal s i s not al ways c l ear Sever al of t he di amet r i c coupl es,f or exampl e, o f f e r e dl i t t l emore t han t he appear ance of t he pol ar opposi t i onswhi ch u Boi s bel i evedhe was depi ct ed s t seems t o me t h a tonl y two p a i r sof t he cor-

r espondi ngcoupl es depi ct ed above can be deemed aut hent i c . The f i r s tc o n s i s t sofobl i gat i onand desi r e- t he f e l t obl i gat i on of ` upper - c l as sbl acks t o s e r v et he needsof t h e i rcor r espondi ng` l owes tcl asses; and a desi r e f or posi t i ve r ecogni t i onf r o mwhi t esr egar di ng t he val ue of t h i s s a c r i f i c e( A l l e n[ 1992] 268 - the best p o r t r a y a lofwhi ch can be f ound i n t he di l emma of u Boi s bl ack a r t i s a n second d i a l e c t i cr evol vedar ound t he quest i on of aes t h et i cval ues t he i mpos si bi l i t yof devi si ng c u l -t u r a l c r i t e r i au n i v e r s a l l yappl i cabl e- or pal at abl e- t o both whi t e and bl ackAmeri ca Seeki ng t he l a rges taudi ence pos s i bl e, u Boi s Af r i can- Amer i cana r t i s twas pl aced i n t h e di l emma of pr oj ecti ng t he soul - beaut y of a r ace whi ch most ot h a taudi ence despi sed ,yet he coul d not a r t i c u l a t et he message of anot her peo-pl e Du Boi s [ 1969] 47) The s t r e s ssur r oundi ng t he l a c kof r e s p e c taccor dedAf r i can- Amer i canaccompl i shment s l ed ul t i mat el y t o an i n t e r n a l i z i n gon t he p a r tof bl acks of s t er eot y pi c alNegr oi di mages commonl y hel d by whi t es The r e s u l t ,i n u Bo i s est i mat i on, was an e c l i p s eof bl ack s el f - c o ns c i ous nes s The s o l u t i o nhepr oposedwas educat i on f or the bl ack common f o l k ,i n or der t o l i f tt hem out of

t h e i rs t a t eof gener al i gnor ance; and f orwhi t e f o l k gener al l y,t h a t they mght comet o a f u l l e rr e a l i z a t i o nof Af r i can- Amer i canhumani t y As not ed e a r l i e r ,a pr obl emw t h bot h u Boi si an doubl e i deal s and doubl e

consci ousness was t h a t they wer e t oo nar r ow y def i ned I n t he caseof t he f i r s tadi l emma pur por t edl yf aced by t he Tal ent edTenth but pr obabl ymor e a t t r i b u t -abl e t o Du Boi s hi msel f - was t r ansf or med i n t o uni ver sal par adi gm of Af r i can-Ameri can doubl e ai ms, w t h negat ed sel f - consci ousness t he i n f e l i c i t o u sout come However , t he re fusa lon t he par t of whi t es t o r ecogni ze t he val ue of s e l f - s a c r i f i c e

on t he p a r t of educat ed bl a c ksbel onged t o a much l a rg e r t endency of whi t eAmer i cans t o deny bl ack humani t y tout court. Thi s r e fusa lposed d i f f i c u l t i e sf or


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Conser vat i on of t he Races w t h not i ons of cul t ur a lc o n f l i c t. But t he most v i s -i b l e ,l a t e 19t h- cent ur y mani f est at i on of st r i vi ng as a Negro coul d onl y have beenf ound i n the exi st ence and cont i nued gr owt h of bl ack vol unt ar y or gani zat i ons-i ncl udi ng t he Amer i can Negro cademy bef or e whi ch u Boi s f i r s tpresent ed hi s Conservat i on of t he Races paper i n March 1897 I t was t he seemngl y contra-di ct ory at t empt t o preserve bl ack i n s t i t u t i o n s(and ,by ext ensi on, Af r i can- Ameri can

nat i onal i t y )whi l e at t he same t i me p r e s s i n gf or f u l li ncl usi on asAmer i can c i t i z e n st h a t l i e sat t he heart of t he i ncessant sel f - questi oni ng and hesi t at i on whi ch u

Boi s descr i bed i n Conser vat i on of Races .Reveal i ng an al t oget her d i f f e r e n tcont ext than t h a t expressed i n The Soul s of

Bl ack Fol k, u Boi s opened hi s Conser vat i on ar gument w t h t he a s s e r t i o nt h a t

i f t he Negro i s ever t o be a f a c t o ri n t h e worl d s h i s t o r y ,t h i sgoal must be accompl i shed by bl ack hands, bl ack heads ,bl ack h e a r t s From hi si t f ol l ows t h a t t he des-

t i n yof bl acks i s not absor pt i on by t he whi t e Ameri cans[ , ] i s not a s e r v i l ei mta-t ion of Angl o- Saxonc ul t u r e ,but a s t al war t or i gi nal i t ywhi ch s h al l unswer vi ngl yfo l lowNegro i d e a l s Du Boi s [ 1970a] 256) . I n order t o accompl i sh these ends , u Boi s a v e r r e d ,

we need r ace o rgani z a t i o ns Negr o co l l eges ,Negr o newspapers ,Negr o b u s i -ness organi za t i ons ,a Negr o schoo lof l i t e r a t u r eand a r t and an i n t e l l e c t u a lc l e a r i n ghouse ,f or a l lt h e s eproduc t sof t he Negr o mnd, whi ch we may cal l a

Negr o Academy Not onl y i s a l l t h i sn e c e s s a r yf or p o s i t i v eadvance,i t i sa b s o l u t e l yi mpe r at i v ef or n e gat i v ed e f e n s e( Du Boi s [1970a] 258)

nd here began t he compl i cat i ons For a number of u Bo i s c ol l e ague s ,appar-e nt l y,t he n a t i o n a l - i d e n t i t yi mpl i cat i ons of aut onomous, Af r i can- Ameri can i n s t i t u -t i o n si nvoked an i nordi nat e s e n s eof dread- a f e a r,f i r s tof a l l ,t h a t t he strengthen-i ng or expansi on of any such bodi es woul d i mpl y somet hi ng other than a demandf or f u l l c i t i z e n s h i pr i g h t sf or bl acks Even worse, t h i saut onomy mght pr ovi de yetanot her r a t i onal e ,i fone wer e a c t u a l l yneeded, f or an a ddi t i o na ls t r i p p i n gaway ofthese r i g h t s Or wor se s t i l l ,t h a t such behavi or s mght a f f o r dj u s t one more excusef or the physi cal expul si on of Af r i can Amer i cans f r o mt he North Amer i can cont i -nent, or t h e i ranni hi l at i on i fthey r emai ned

Thi s, of c o u r s e ,was nei ther the f i r s tnor l a s tt i me t h a t such an i s s u ewoul d a r i s e

i n t h e l i v e sof bl ack meri cans and t h a t of Dr Du Boi s as wel l Dur i ng t he 1830s,f or exampl e, a handf ul of Northern f r e ebl acks l ed the charge aga i n s tt he cont i n-


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ON THE RE DNO OF R DDLES

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cont emporar i es such s dol ph Wagner and Gust av von Schmol l er , w t h bot h ofwhom e st udi ed at t he Uni ver si t yof Ber l i n; i n phi l osophy, i twas bot h Hegel andHer der who exerted t h e i r r espect i ve i n f l uen ces ,Hegel w t h regard t o t he phe-nomenol ogy of consci ousness and t he phi l osophy of hi s t o r y,and Her der w t hr e spec tt o c u l t u r a lc r i t i q u ei nt er t w ned w t h t he phi l osophy of h i s t o r y. Whi l e uBoi s had many source t o dr awupon i n hi s el abor at i on of t woness, a number ofhi s bas i cconcept s of cul t ur e- of nat i onal i d ea l s ,of c u l t u r a l gi f t , of c u l t u r a lr e l a -t i v i t yand of f o l kcul t ur e- most c e r t a i n l ywer e der i ved ei t herd i r e c t l yor i n d i r e c t -l y f r o mHer der I n t he c a s e of t he l a t t e r , i t was l i k e l yt h a t bl ack i n t e l l e c t u a l ssuch s Edward Bl ydenand Al exander Crummel l pl ayed an i n f l u e n t i a lm ddl e r ol e ( seeLynch 60- 1 ; Moses 108)

Her der , J ef f erson, and t he Mul t i Nat i onal State

The sense of om nous, i mpendi ng c o n f l i c tunder l yi ng Conservat i on of t heRaces a c t u a l l yf l owed f romsome of t he e a r l i e s ti d e a l sof Eur opean nat i onal i smwher e n a t i o n a l i t ywas consi dered a category of Nat ur e and t he assembl i ng of mul -t i p l en a t i o n a l i t i e sbeneat h t he f o l d sof a s i n g l es t a t eapparatus deemed unnat ur aland subj ect t o d i s a st r o usconsequences The sent i ment was f i r s texpressed byHer der , one of t he most i n f l u e n t i a lpr oponent s of r omant i c nat i onal i sm i n t he l a t e18t h- cent ur y Her der [ 1969] 324) Al t hough Her der emphasi zed n a t i o n a l i t yandeven used t he t e r m race i n hi s t hought , Her der was f i r m y opposed t o t he not i ont h a t i n na t e ,r a c i a ld i f f er ences exi s t edw t hi n humani t y For hi m nat i onal d i s t i n c -t i o n swer e pur el y a mat t er of c ul t ur e ,and e s p e c i a l l yof l anguage Her der [ 1969] 284) El sewher e Her der dar kl y af f i r med t ha t Wher e nature has separ at ed nat i on- l i t i esby l anguage, cust oms and character one mus t not at t empt t o change t hemi n t oone uni t by a r t i f a c tand chem cal oper at i ons ( i nEr gang 97) Omnous r e s u l t sawai t ed those who def i ed t he na t u r a lorder of t hi ngs forced uni ons - empi r escompr i sed of d i ver s epeopl es t hr own t ogether as t he r e s ul tof t he a ct i o nsof i mpe-r i l i s tr ul er s- wer e but l i f el essmonst rosi t i es f or med of c l ay, and, l i k e a l l c l yt hey wi l l d i s s ol veor cr umbl e t o pi eces Her der [ 1969] 324)

Such t hought s c ar r i edover in to t he dom nant i d e a l s of t he newl y f or medUni t ed S t a t e s For whi t es, t he Af r i can- Amer i canpresence commanded a t wo- f ol df ea r of unnatur al consequences F i r s t of a l l t he accept ance of c i t i z e n s h i pf orbl acks- i mpl yi nga necessar y somat i c br oadeni ng of t he d e f i n i t i o nof Amer i can

n at i o na lchar act er - was unt hi nkabl e; Nat ur e m ght t o l e r a t et he bl ack pr esenceonl y i fAf r i c a sdescendants wer e hel d t o t he most r u t h l e s sf or ms of suppr essi on


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aga i n s tt he gr ai nof Enl i ght enment i d e a l sof i ndi vi dualfreedom, or an uncheckedand bar bar ous s t a t e of m scegenat i on woul d occur ( whi ch r an contrary t o dom -nant Amer i can mor al and a es t het i ci deal s ) Thus, i n hi s Notes on t he Sta te of Vi rg i ni a,

Thomas J ef f er sonwar ned of deepp e r i l si n f r eei ng t hes l avesw t hout pr ovi di ngf or

t h e i r expul si on f r o mt he orth Amer i can cont i nent:

Deep r o o t e dpr e j udi c es ent e r t ai nedby t he whi t e s; t en t housand r e c o l l e c t i o n s ,by t he b l ac k s ,of t he i n j u r i e st h e yhave s u s t a i ne d; new p r o v oc at i o ns; t he reald i s t i n c t i o n swhi chn a t u r ehad made ; and many o the rc i r cumst ances ,w l l d i v i d eus i n t opar t ies ,and pr oduce c o nv ul s i o nswhi chwi l lp r o bab l ynever end but i nt he ext er mnat i on of t he one or t he o the rr a c e Q e f f e r s o n 186)

o these p o l i t i c a lob j ec t i ons ,wr ot e J e f f e r s o n , may be added o t h e r s ,whi ch ar ep hy s i c a land mor al These l a t t e rf a c t o r shad not onl y t o do w t h t he col or and hai rt e x t u r eof bl acks whi ch, i n hi s e s t i ma t i o n,debased pr evai l i ngs t a n d a r d sof beaut yTher e wer e supposi t i ons as wel l t h a t A f r i c a sdescendant s r equi r ed l e s ss l eepthanwh i t e s ,exper i enced onl y t r ans i e ntg r i e f s ,wer e more sensual than r e f l e c t i v e ,i n f e r i -or i n reason and i magi nat i on, t h a t mal es of t he r a c e possessed g r e a t e rsexual d r i v e ,and t h a t bl acks i n gener al wer e i ncapabl e of c r e at i ngpoet r y-Phi l l i sWheat l ey sher oi c e f f o r t snot w t hst andi ng

mong t he Romans emanci pati on r equi r ed but one effort The s l a v e,when

s a made f r e e ,, mght mx w t h , w thout s t ai ni ng t he bl ood of hi s mas t er ut wt h

us a second i s necessary, unknown t o hi s tory When freed, he i s t o be removed

beyond t he reach mxture Uefferson 193)

i twas l ogi c such

sJ e f f e r s o n s ,of c o u r s e ,whi ch t i e d

c e r t a i ns t r a i n sof a b o l i t i o n

i smt o p l a nsf or t he col oni zat i onof Amer i canb l ac k sout si de orth Amer i ca i n t heer a pr i or t o 1865 Gi ven t h i s br oader cont ext ual o v er l a y,t he choi ce f or manywhi t es had become one of ei t her t he compl et e subj ugat i on of bl acks or t h e i rexpul si on f r omt he orth Amer i can cont i nent; f or b l ac k st he h i s t o r i c a lchoi ce wasoften seen as e x i s t i n gbet ween c ul t u r a land/ or bi ol ogi cal as si m l at i on,on t he one

s i de,emgrat i on on t he ot her Thi s ,compel l i ngei t her / or l o g i cwas so p er v as i v e ,hav-i ng been repeated on f ai t h f orso l ong, t h a t i t cont i nued t o shape t he out l ook of

bl ack spokesper sons wel l i nt o t hel a t e 19t h century see, e . g Tur ner [ 1971] : 74) Wth a bj e ct f a i l u r eof at t empt s t col oni zat i on or emgrat i on a r r i v e d ,i n t he


11/22


gener al m gr a t i on of Ameri can Negr oes t o Af r i cai snei t her pos s i bl enor des i r a bl e;i t i snot poss i bl e ,f or t he Negr oes as a body do not w sh t o go, and t he f o r c i b l eexpul si on o nat i on of ei ght m l l i onwoul d be si mpl y i mpossi bl e w t hout c i v i l

war and an expendi t ur e of not l e s s than two and one- hal fb i l l i o n sof f r a n c s DuBoi s [ 1985] 47- 48) By t he l a t e1930s, however , he had r eeval uated hi sposi t i on We may be expel l ed f r o mt he Uni t ed S t a t e s s t he J ew i s bei ng expel l ed f r o m

Germany Du Boi s [ 1968] 306 ; see a l s o u Boi s [ 1985] 155) Bor r owi ng a number of concepts t r a c e a b l et o Her der , Du Boi s sought t o

demonst r at e t h a t an appar ent conundrumthe supposed i mpos si bi l i t yof whi t eand bl ack c i t i z e n speacef ul l ypur sui ng t h e i rs e p a r a t ebut i nt er t w nedr a c i a li deal s-was a f a l s eone Wth an adj ust ment of t he econom c and p o l i t i c a lcondi t i ons of

Af r i canAmer i cansthere was no reason why t he pur s ui tof d i f f e r i n gai ms m ght notbe s u c c e s s f u l l yexpl or ed But i t was, a f t e ra l l ,Her der s i d ea son n a t i o n a l i t ywhi chhad gi ven shape t o t he di l emma f r o mwhi ch Du Boi s was now at t empt i ng t o e x t r i -c at e hi msel f ,and through t he s e l e c t i v eembr ace and r e j e c t i o nof a number ofHer der s p recep t s , u Boi s woul d o f f e ra uni que r esol ut i on Du Boi s had embr acedt he not i on of c u l t u r a l gi f t - an i dea deri ved f r o mHer der s wr i t i ngson f ol k c ul -t u r e -a s t he f oundat i on of nat i onal char act er ; t he l a t t e rt heme i t s e l fwas t r a n s -l a t e dw t h i nt he u Boi si an l exi conas r a c i a li d e a l s. But he had a l s oaccompl i shedhi s ai ms by s u b s t i t u t i n gr a c i a l f or mul ati ons f or Her der s own n a t i o n a l i t ypara-di gma sol ut i on whi ch Her der , of course ,woul d have r e j e c t e dout of hand

To be an Amer i can i n t he way t h a t i nhabi t ant s of t he southern hal f of t heNorth Ameri can conti nent have onesi dedl y appr opr i ated t he t e r m l l t o themsel v es) si gni f i esa doubl e meani ng: nat i ona li dent i t y bor n of t he i mpr i nt of s o c i a l -i z a t i o nw t h i n Amer i can s o c i e t y; and a c i v i li dent i t y- nat ur al c i t i z e nor deni zen-based upon a s p e c i f i cr e l a t i o nt o t he Amer i can s t a t e Rephr asi ngHer der s pr ohi -

bi t iona ga i n s tt he assi gnment of more than one n a t i o n a l i t yt o a gi ven s t a t ei n t h e s el a t t e rt er ms, one m ght sayt h a t f orAmeri can c i v i li d e n t i t yas whol e there coul de x i s tbut a s i n g l eAmer i cann a t i o n a l i t y,a s i n g l enat i onal i dent i t y u Boi s, howev-er parted company w t h t h i sHer der i anf or mul ati on on at l eas tthree count s: f i r s t ,t h a tAmer i canc i v i li d e n t i t yi t s e l fm ght pr operl yaccommodat e t he i d e a l sof mor ethan one n at i onal )gr oup; second, t h a t t he concept of n a t i o n a l i t ywas t o be recon-f i gur edas t hatof race; and t h i r d ,wher eas bot h Her der i an nat i ona lcharacter and uBoi si an r c i li dea l s poi nt ed t owar ds t he o v e r a l l way of l i f e of a peopl e, Du Boi s

hi msel f pl aced f ar mor e emphasi s on t he s e l e c t i v ei d e a l sof a e s t h e t i c ,or hi gh c u l -t u r e ,as wel l as on t he gui di ngr o l eof an educat ed e l i t ei n t h e i rdevel opment


12/22

ON THE RE NGOF R LES

ati onal Char act er Ver sus Raci alChar act er

Some of t he most pr om nent wr i t e r sof t he Enl i ght enment subscr i bed t o the uni -

v e r s a l i t yof anci ent Gr eek and Roman as wel l as cont empor ar y French i d e a l s

( Er gang 83) For Her der and ot her Romant i cs, however , u n i v e r s a l i t yr esi ded in the

cont ent i on t h a t every n a t i o n a l i t ypossessed i t s own uni que na t i onal cul t ur eand

l anguage whi ch cont r i but ed t o wor l d c i v i l i z a t i o n( Er gang 88) . The under pi nni ngs

of nati onal c ul t ur e moreover , wer e seen t o be const i t ut ed by t he f ol k - t hat i s

t he numer i cal l y pr edom nant peasant r y of gi ven count r y For ever y nat i on i sone

peopl e, i n s i s t e dHerder , havi ng i t s own na t i o na lform as wel l as i t sown l anguage

t he c l i ma t ei t i s t rue st amps on each i t smar k, or spreadsi t over a s l i g h tv e i l but


13/22


14/22


.

. . - . 1 . .

.

- : . . . -

Unr a ve l i ngt heRi ddl e

I n d i r e c t l yr espondi ng t o each of t he obj ect i ons of Her der andJ ef f ersonout l i ned

above, Du Boi s a f f i r me dw t hout el aborati onand w t hout evi dence t h a t whi l e i t

may have been t r ue i n t he pas t t h atcl osed race groups made h i s t o r y t h a t here i n

congl omer at e Amer i ca nous avons[change]t ou tcel a- we have changed al l t h a t andhave no need of t h i sanci ent i nst r ument of progress Du Boi s [ 1970a] 253) For


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whi t eness of North Amer i can s o c i e t y. Hence, there was no l ogi c alreason whywhi t es and bl acks a l i k e ,pur sui ng di v er s ebut nonet hel ess i nt ert wi ned i deal s ,coul dnot c o- ex i s tpeacef ul l y beneat h t he same gover ni ng machi ner y

What Du Boi s wr ought t o make c l ea r,above a l lwas t ha t t he di l emma of bei nga Negro and an Amer i can at t he same t i me - by whi ch he meant t he i n s t i t u t i o n -al f o r t i f i c a t i o nof Af r o- Amer i can r a c i a l i deal s ( nat i onal i deal s by any ot hername) and t he i n s t i t u t i o n a lf ul f i l l mentof U c i t i z e n s h i ppursued concur r ent l y-was a f a l s e one Af r i can- Amer i can t woness mght be f u l l ypreserved, wi t houti ncurri ng l i a b i l i t yon ei t h er s i d e Her e, i t seem t o me, wr ot e u Boi s, i s read-i ng of t he r i d d l et ha t puzzl es so many of us We ar e Amer i cans, not onl y by b i r t hand by c i t i z ens hi p,but by our p o l i t i c a li dea l s ,our l anguage, our r e l i g i o n Farther

t han t h a t , our Amer i cani sm does not go ( [ 1970a]

257- 8)

The key t o t h i snovel exposi t i on of di ver s i t ywi t hout c o n f l i c t( of c u l t u r a lpl u-r al i s m act ual l y)was t he not i on of gi f t , whi ch u Boi s seem t o have appropri -at ed f romAl exander Crummel l I know no peopl e comng t o t h i sl and whi ch cano f f e rt he r i g h t st he Negro has t o o f f e rt o savet h i sn a t i o n , not ed t he venerabl e rev-erend- schol ar i n t he l a t e 1880s ( Cr ummel l [ 1992a] 242)

Ant hropol ogi st s have l ong underst ood t ha t gi f t s , bear i ng magi cal q u a l i t i e s , s i mul t aneousl y acknowl edge and c r e a t e s oc i a l r e l a t i o n s , r e l a t i o n swhi ch may

event ual l y be f orged i n to bonds of e q u a l i t y Demandi ng recogni t i on of t he gi verand return f rom t he r ec ei v er, gi f t s , as Robert Paynt er has not ed, ar e t he medi aof p o l i t i c samong equal s ( Paynt er 286) The gi f t s of c ul t u r eproposed by uBoi s thus served a t wo- f ol d purpose t o el ev at et he s ta tus of b l ac k si n t he eyes oft he wor l d and at t he same t i me serve as an o f f e r i n gt o those who f e a r e dt he c l a s hof i r r e c o n c i l a b l ei deal si nherent i n t he gi f t i t s e l f Amer i can and Af r i can- Amer i cani n t he same c r ea t i v eb re a th ,and i fopenl y acknowl edged and recei ved as such ,t hepre sen t sof bl acks hel d out t he promse of l i nki ngt wo, seemngl y i r r e c o n c i l a b l eworl ds

But j u s t as Herder s concept of n at i o na lcharact er bore an e l u s i v est amp, so t oodi d u Bo i s el aborat i on of Af r i can- Amer i can r ac i a l i deal stend t o r emai n i n ani nchoat e s t a t e Al t oget her absent f rom Conservat i on of t he Races, t hey do makeabri ef appearance i n The Soul s of l ack Fol k W l lAmer i ca be poorer i f she r epl a ceher b r u t a ldyspept i c bl underi ng wi t h l i ght - heart ed but det erm ned Negro huml -i t y ? or her coarse and cruel wi t wi t h l ovi ng j o v i a lgood humor or her vul gar

musi c wi t h t he soul of t he Sorrow Songs? i nqui red u

Boi s i n hi s openi ng chap-t er Du Boi s [ 1969] 52) ut i t was not u n t i l t he f i n a lpages of t he book t h a t he


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ON THE RE DNG OF R DDLES

s l owand dr eam ul concept i on of t he un i v er s e ,a draw i ng and s l u r r i n gof speech,

an i nt e ns es ens i t i v enes st o s p i r i t u a lval ues . . ore s i g n i f i c a n t l y,he was f u r t h e r

pr epared t o ext end t he not i on of a bl ack c ul t u r a l gi f t i nto other areas: t o t he eco-

nomc i ndependence of women ( a devel opment whi ch, he poi nt s o u t , bl ack

women not onl y pref i gured, but exerted a di r e c ti nf l uence upon) ; t o t he ( c o n f l i c t -ed) r o l eof t he s l a vewoman as t he mdi um hr ough whi ch t he t wo great r a c e s

wer e uni t ed i n Amer i ca ; t he e f f o r t sof bl ack women such as Har r i et Tubman and

Mammy P l e as a nt st owar ds t he ext ensi on of Amer i can democr acy to bl acks ; and

f i n a l l y,t o t he rhythmc punct uat i ons of bl ack o r a t o r y,e s p e c i a l l yth a t of t he m n-

i s t r y Du Boi s [ 1975] : 262, 268, 270- 2, 308, 320) .

THE P TH NOT T KEN

t was W B. u .tence of a count er - pul l of doubl e a i n i sexper i enced by a narrow s t r a t a of Af r o-

Amer i cans, a di l emma whi ch he at t ri but ed t o bl acks ofal l

s oc i a lc l a s s e s. But t h i st wi s tof consci ousness was r e a l l ynot so much t he wor r y of Af r i can- Amer i canpro-l e t a r i a n s ,a r t i s ans ,or agr ar i an worker s, or of bl ack mn and women engaged i ndomest i c s e r v i c e. Not even amng bl ack p r o f e s s i o n a l swas t h i s supposedl y uni -v er s a l di l emma t he p a r t i c u l a rconcern of as si mi l at i oni s t sof bi ol ogi cal or c u l t u r a l

accept ed segr egat i on out of sheer expedi ence . Rather, i t was t he concern of l a t e

persuasi on, of p o l i t i c a lem gr at i oni sts seeki ng sel f - det er m nat i on on other shores ,or of ent r epr eneur i al Negr oes who wi t h one eye f i xed on t he bal ance sheet ,

64 19t h- cent ur y educated bl acks who f i r s tof a l l possessed r e f l e c t i v ec a pa c i t yas wel l

and Herder, where s o c i et a lprobl ems wer e t o be addressed through a c u l t u r a l

as t he t i me t o r e f l e c t;who r ef used t o v i ewt he wor l d through i mposed cat egor i calbl i nder s; and who const r ai ned by t he absence of p o s s i b i l i t i e sf o r di r ec tp o l i t i c a ls t r uggl e,yet r epul sed by t he brut i shness of econom c compet i t i on dur i ng the so-

c a l l e dGi l ded Age, chose as t h e i rpr i nci pal bat t l egr ound t he domai n of cul t ur e(Here one di s c o ver sr ough p a r a l l e l sunder l yi ng t he mut ed p o l i t i c sof both Du Boi s

Du Boi s bl uepr i nt f or c ul t u r a lcoexi st ence bet ween whi t es and bl a c k swas

e s s e n t i a l l yof t he same s p i r i t as Booker T Washi ngt on s program f or econom c

coexi st ence- - an i n d i r e c tp o l i t i c a lr esponse t o t he c o l l a p s eof Reconst r uct i on

Whi l e comng c l o s et o t r a n s f e r r i n gt o t he cul tura lr eal mWashi ngt on s not i on of

s e pa r a t e_

onea l l

t hi ngs mut ualp r o g r e s s , i unprepar ed t e r r a i n

p o l i t -


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and r ecei vi nga l lb e n e f i t st o be der i ved t heref romwhi l e at t he same t i me mai n-t a i n i n gan i n s t i t u t i o n a l i z e dAf r i can- Amer i candi s t i nc t i v enes s

Cont r ar y t o pr esent - day m sreadi ngs of Du Bo i s ,t h i s l a s tpercei ved di l emmawas t he under l yi ng source of purportedAf r i can- Amer i canagony descr i bed i n hi s Conser vat i on of Races es say The i s s ue sof br ut al bl under i ng ver sus det er m nedh u m l i t y ,of cruel w t ve r susgood humor , or vul gar ver sus subl i me musi c wer ehar dl y t he s t u f fof whi ch two war r i ng soul s wer e made Mor eover ,even wher eDu Boi s speaks of a r e f u s a lon t he pa r t of t he Negro e i t h e rt o Af r i cani zeAmer i caor t o bl each h i ss o u l , t h i swas not t he same as def i ni ng a probl emat i cal t wonessi n whi ch Af r i canAmer i cans f ound t hemsel ves t o r n bet ween t he c ul t ur a lpr a c t i c esof sur vi vi ngAf r i cani sms, on one hand, and t hose of Eur o- Amer i cani smson t heot her. lb The l a t t e r i s an ar gument whi ch, under t he heavy i nf l uence of Af r i canwr i t er s of t he post col oni al peri od, di d not and coul d not emer ge w t h i n anAf r i can- Amer i cancont ext u n t i lt he heady, l a t e - 1 960 ser a of bl ack c u l t u r a lnat i on-al i sm and t he si mul t aneous and unpr ecedent ed entry of upwar dl y mobi l ebl acksi nt o bur eaucr at i c corporate s t r u c t u r e s. l

I n a somewhat d i f f e r e n tf o r m t he debat e sur r oundi ng t he si mul t aneous pur sui tof f u l lc i v i lequal i t yand Af r i can- Amer i cani n s t i t u t i o n a ld i s t i n c t i v e n e s swas t o con-f r o n t Du Boi s once agai n i n 1934 i n t he wake of a controversy sur r oundi ng hi s

e d i t o r i a lsuppor t of aut onomous econom c i n s t i t u t i o n s ,a posi t i on whi ch t heNAACP hi er ar chy f ear ed woul d cont am nat e t he s t r u ggl eaga i n s ti mposed segre -gat i on and f or t he secur i ng of uncondi t i onal r i g h t sf or bl a c ks ,Du Boi s was l ed t or e s i gnt he edi t or shi p of t he C r i s i smagazi ne ( see Du Boi s [ 1968a] : 303- 15 ; and[ 1985] : 143- 57) . The l egacy of Du Boi s di l emma-the choi cebet ween l i b e r t yandcommuni ty- bears heavi l y upon us t oday By t he m d- 1960s, i t i st r u e ,t he nar r ow,l ega lpur sui t of c i v i lr i g h t sl ed t o t he secur i ng of f or mal p o l i t i c a land c i v i l l i ber t i esf or Af r i canAmer i cans ut i n t he cont ext of a cont i nued den i a l of econom cdemoc r acy t o Amer i cans as a whol e, t h i s vi cto rya l s ocont r i but ed, however i nad-v er t ent l y,t o t he subsequent c ol l a ps eof aut onomous i n s t i t u t i o n sessent i a lt o t hewel l - bei ng of Af r i can- Amer i cancommuni t i es That i s sue,of cour se, r emai ns unr e-sol ved t o t h i sday

NOTES

For a cogent di s c us s i o nof di f f er e nc ese x i s t i n gbet ween Du Boi s e a r l ypubl i s h edessaysand t h e i r subsequent r e v i s i o ni n t o chap te r sc o n s t i t u t i n gThe Soul s of Bl ack Fol k see

S t e p t o: 52 9

2 The dua l i s tt er m nol ogy empl oyed by Du Boi s i n t he l t t wor k can be di v i dedi t


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t a s kof deci pher i ngan e l u s i v etrope Previ ousl yI have suggested t h a t u Boi s may havei mpl i edby t he t e r m an expanded consci ousness al l owi ngone t he a b i l i t yt o navi gate t wodi s pa r at ec u l t u r e sf l u e n t l y or f r o mt he per spect i veof one sown c u l t u r e ,t he s k i l lt o per -c ei v ei n anot her tha t whi ch i s opaque t o i t spr a ct i t i oner s The l a t t e rmeani ng i s i mpl i c-i t i n a r emar k made by u Boi s i n 1926: whi l el i f e behi nd t he v e i l supposedl yr eveal edno t r u esel f - consci ousnessf orb l a ck s ,i ta l s opermttedthem i n hi swor ds, t o see Ameri cai n a way t h a t whi t eAmer i ca cannot Du Boi s [ 1970b] 279) See a l s oAl l en ( 1990- 2) 55- 69, es p 56

3 As a count er - exampl e, Est es- Hi ckshas poi nt ed out t h a tunl i keDu Boi s and others whoregarded t h e i rt woness as a pai nf ul burden, J eanToomer saw t he hei ght eni ng of con-s c i o us n es scause by r aci al / s oci al di ver s i t yas an e x h i l a r a t i n gexper i ence- t he fortunatef a t eof modern man ( Est es- Hi cks 26)

4 For a di s c us s i onof Emer son spenchant f or dua l i sms ,see a l s oNi col of f44, 50- 53, 59, 134

5 What i s one t o do, f or exampl e, wi t h i d e a l suphol di ng quacker yanddemagogy whi chshoul d have i nduced shame i n t hei rp r a c t i t i o n e r s ,pi t t ed agai ns tcount er - i deal s whi chmade one as hamed of one s l owl y t a s k s ?And under ci r cumst ancesdescr i bed by DuBoi s,how m ght one be torn bet ween two appar ent l y d i f f e r e n tbodi es of knowl edge?

6 The i s s u ef i n d sa c l o s ep a r a l l e li nour own t i me r e l a t i v et o a f f i r ma t i v eact i on i n empl oy-ment pr a c t i c es ,a pol i cy now under ext r eme a t t a c kby r i ght - wi ngi deol ogi es ai ded byconf usedor mal evol ent Negr oes St even Car t e r spueri l e l ament at i ons t o t h e c ont r ar ywhi t e opposi t i ont o a f f i r mat i v ea c t i o n , s o - c a l l e d ,i s but a s p ec i a lcaseof whi t e opposi -t i on t o bl acks i ngeneral pri or t o t he exi st ence of af f i rmat i veacti on gui de l i ne s , woul d seem hat Af r i canAmer i canswho managed t o obt ai n empl oyment through anoccasi onal out br eak of f a i rempl oyment pr a c t i c est ended t o f aceat l e a s t as many d i f f i -c u l t i e sf r o mwhi t e cowor ker sas those who l a t e rentered t hr ought he a f f i r mat i veacti ondoor

7 Af r i can- Ameri canar t h i s t o r i a nJudi thW l s onobserves t h a t To t h i sday,many commen-t a t o r son t he work of Af r i can- Ameri cana r t i s t sr emai n t angl ed i n t he i nherent contra-di c t i onsof t h i s nat i onal i st - or i ent edprogram st ruggl i ngt o s epar at esome f i xed s et of`Negro i d e a l s f r o man `Angl oSaxon c ul t u r e t hey have concept ual i zedi n equal l y a h i s -

t o r i c ,e s s e n t i a l i s tt er ms andexpect i ng a ` s t a l war t or i gi nal i t yt o r e s u l tf r o ma p ur s ui tof

such Si syphusi ane f f o r t s ( W l s on 32)

8 Al t hough( asAdel l has shown) t he very f i r s tchapter of Soul s i sl a r g e l yf r amed by Hegel sphenomenol ogy and ( asWl l i amsonand Goodi ng- Wl l i amshave a l s odemonst r at ed) byhi s phi l osophy ofhi story as wel l ,Du Boi s ecl ecti ci smwoul d seem t o pr ecl ude oura s s i gni nghi m t o a s i n g l ephi l osophi cal t r a d i t i o n ,whet her Emer soni an, J amesi an,Hegel i an, Herder i an, or any ot her For t r eat ment s of u Bo i s phi l osophi cal l e ani n gsand/ or Ger mani c i nf l u enc es ,s eeBr oder i ck 367- 71; B. W Be l l 16- 24; Adel l chap 13;Goodi ng- Wl l i ams( 1987) 99- 114 and ( 1991- 2) 517- 42; and C Wl l i ams ( 1983)

11 19 Zamr ( 1995) arr i vedt oo l a t et o i ncl udei n t h i sdi s c us s i on

9 I n t he caseof s e gr e ga t i o n,of course t here i s no quest i on t ha t an i dealsuch as t hi scoul d


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ONTHE RE NG OF R LES

11 Cul t ur e as a way of l i f e was f i r s tf or mul at ed i nt he Engl i shl anguage by ant hr opol ogi stEdward Tyl or i n 1871 Cul t ur e or c i v i l i z a t i o n ,t aken i n i t s w de, ethnogr aphi c s e n s e ,i st h a t compl ex whol e whi ch i ncl udes know edge, b e l i e f ,a r t ,moral s, l a w,custom and anyother c a p a b i l i t i e sand ha bi t sacqui r ed by man as a mmer of s o c i e t y. See a l s o W l l i ams ( 1976) 76- 82

12 See a l s oCrumml l ( [1992a ] 203; and Qul y]: 108) I f i n t h e i r e f f o r t st o e r ec tan opposi -t i ona lworl dvi ewt o 19th- cent ur y whi t e r a c i a ldom nance, a u Boi s ,a Cr ummel l , or aBl yden wer e g u i l t yof r aci sm - and i t i s necessary t o be p e r f e c t l yc l e aron t h i si s s u ei nt he f a c eof r ecent e f f us i onsf r o ma handf ul of wr i t er s of Af r i candescent - t hen i t was, i nt he mor e meani ngf ul t er m nol ogy of S a r t r e( 1949) , an a nt i r a c i s tr aci sm w t h whi chthey shoul d be char ged To argue ot her w se, t o de - hi s t or i c i z eand decont extual i ze t hei s s u ei s i n e f f e c t ,t o pl ace t he count er - r aci al i smof Af r i canAmer i cans on t he same pl aneas t h a t of whi t e i n s t i t u t i o n a l i z e draci smw el ded at t he f ormer s expense Appi ah s ( 1992)cat egor i zat i on of 19th- cent ur y Af r i can- Ameri can t hi nke r sas ext ri nsi c or i nt r i ns i craci st s - a dubi ous d i s t i n c t i o n ,i n any case- onl y further muddl es t he wat er Al t houghhe i s absol ut el y correct i n chal l engi ng the s c i e n t i f i cv a l i d i t yof r a c e , a l a s , nei t herAppi ah s negat i ve pr eachi ngs t o bl ac kson t he subj ect nor hi s e r udi t e ,s c i e n t i f i cde ni a l soft he exi st ence of r ace exer t mch p r a c t i c a le f f e c tupon i t sexi st ence as i n s t i t u t i o n a l i z e ds o c i a lr e a l i t y To my m nd, a g r e a t e remphasi s on t he el i mnat i on of raci sm r a t h e rthan race woul d com c l os e rt o achi evi ng t he r a c e l e s sworl d t h a t many ut opi ans haveenvi si oned ( c f Gordon [ 1995a] and [ 1995e] ) .

13 Du Boi s went on t o s t a t et h a t t he c ount e r - a s s er t i on, of whi ch t he Negro peopl e a r ee s p e c i a l l yf ound, can not be e s t a bl i s he dby a c a r e f u l consi der at i on of hi story Si gni f i c ant l y,whi l e agr eei ng w t h Du Boi s general d i r e c t i o n ,Al exander Cr ummel l sr eadi ng of t he pas t supported nei t her concl usi on . s i n g u l a ras i t may seem there i s nof i x e dl aw of h i s t o r yby whi ch t o det er m ne t he p r o b a b i l i t i e sof t he r a c eprobl emi n t heUni t ed S t a t e s We can f i n dnowhere such i n v a r i a b i l i t yof r es ul t as t os et a pr i nci pl e ordet er m ne what may be c a l l e dan h i s t o r i c a laxi om Crummel l [ 1992b] 181)

14 Er gang has not ed t ha t i nt he l a t e 18t h c e n t u r y, t he p o l i t i c a lcondi t i on of Ger many, as awhol e and a l s oi n many of t he s t a t e s ,was s o wr et ched t h a t t he b e t t e rmnds turned w t hdi s g us tf r o mt he consi der at i on of p o l i t i c a lmatt ers t o l i t e r a t u r e ,a e s t h e t i c s ,and phi l osophy,and t he peopl e i n gene r a l ,a f t e rexper i enci ng t he f u t i l i t yof i nvei ghi ng a ga i ns tt he p o l i t -i c a l condi t i ons of t he t i me ,s e t t l e ddown t o cont empt uous i ndi f f e r e nc e t o publ i ca f f a i r s( Er gang 241)

15 Du Boi s, e . g. posed the quest i on What shoul d be t he a t t i t u d eof Negr oes t oward t heeducat i onal q u a l i f i c a t i o nf or v o t e r s ?What shoul d be out a t t i t u d et oward s e p a r a t eschool s?How houl d we meet di scri m nat i on on r a i l wa ysand hot e l s ?Such quest i ons need not s omch s p e c i f i canswer f or each p a r t as a general expressi on of pol i c y,and nobody shoul dbe b e t t e rf i t t e dt o announce such a pol i cy than a r e pr e s ent a t i v ehonest Negro Academ

Du Boi s [ 1970a] 260)

16 Rat her , t h i sposi t i on represented a t a c t i c a lmaneuver on u

Bo i s p a r t ,where he r e a s -sured hi s whi t e readers t ha t r a t he rt han m scegenat e, Af ri canAmer i cans sought t o pre-s e r v et h e i rd i s t i n c t i v e( c u l t u r a land, pr esumabl y, b i o l o g i c a l )t r a i t s; on t he ot her hand, such


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ON THE RE NGOF R LES

17 Mer c i f ul l yf romt he e a r l y19t h century t o t he present t h i specul i ar mani f est at i on of c u lt u r a lschi zophreni a mon educat ed Af ri canAmer i cans has t ended t o di mni sh f or t h r e ereasons t he gradual decl i nei n t h r e a t sof forced expul si onof b l a cksf rom t he US o t h epar t of whi t es; s u cc es s i v es tagesof i ncorporat i on of bl ackAmer i can popul ar cul t ure i n t ot he mai nst r eam s o cal l edas wel l as t he progressi ve accul t urati on of mas ses of bl ack

Amer i cans t o t he dom nant c ul t ur e thus r enderi ng t he choi cebet ween c ul t ur ali d e n t i

t i e s pr o gr e s s i v el yl e s s dr aconi an and t he devel opi ng s o p h i s t i c a t i o no t he Af r i can-Amer i can i n t e l l i g e n t s i ai n t hei rrecogni zi ng t h a t i n order t o el i mnat e c at e go r i c ald i f f e rence i t somet i mes necessary t o f oment a hei ght ened sense o c r eat i v ed i f f e r e n c efor thepurpose of demonst r at i ng a sense of q u a l i t a t i v esamenes s


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Allen: On the Reading of RiddlesBibliography

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14. ---. August 1897. The Striving of the Negro People. Atlantic Monthly 80.

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27. July, R. 1968.The Origins of Modern African Thought: Its Development in West Africa during theNineteenth and Twentieth Centuries . London: Faber and Faber.

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29. Rampersad, A. 1990. The Art and Imagination of W. E. B. Du Bois. New York: Schocken.

30. Stepto, R. B. 1991.From Behind the Veil: A Study of Afro-American Narrative, 2d ed. Urbana:University of Illinois Press.

31. Stevenson, D. 1988.The Origins of Freemasonry: Scotland's Century, 1590-1710 . Cambridge:University of Cambridge Press.

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33. Wilson, J. 1992. Lifting The Veil: Henry O. Tanners The Banjo Lesson and The Thankful Poor.Contributions in Black Studies (9/10): 31-54.

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on the reading of riddles: rethinking du boisian "double consciousness" • by ernest allen, jr

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