Toward a Du Boisian Pedagogy for the Teaching of Sociology

Abstract

This article contributes to the reclamation of W.E.B. Du Bois’s many contributions to social science practice. In particular, it offers an original quadripartite pedagogical framework grounded in the practices and ideas of Du Bois and more contemporary Du Boisian scholars. In doing so, it utilizes a combination of archival materials, Du Bois’s publications, and secondary literature. This article then intervenes by (1) offering a concise review of the trajectory and main developments of Du Bois’s educational thought, (2) analyzing and synthesizing the secondary educational literature on Du Bois’s philosophy and sociology of education, and (3) outlining an original framework for pedagogical practice grounded in Du Boisian principles. It argues that a Du Boisian framework for pedagogy will be crucial in the Du Bois-inspired efforts to decolonize the sociological imagination.