铁塔

《古典社会学理论》瑞泽尔

Chapter 11 Du Bois

Du Bois and the "New" Social Theory

Du Bois offered a standpoint theory of the kind espoused and created by feminists and multiculturalists. The latter (as well as the postmodernists) were critical of the value-free perspective, the "view from nowhere," the so-called "god's eye" view, espoused by modernists. They argued that such a perspective was impossible -- one could never be value-free, be nowhere, adopt a godlike perspective.

Theoretical Contributions

The Veil

"we build around them walls so high, and hang between them and the light a Veil so thick, that they shall not even think of breaking through".

Overall, "worlds within and without the Veil of Color are changing, and changing rapidly, but not at the same rate, not in the same way; and this must produce a peculiar wrenching of the soul, a peculiar sense of doubt and bewilderment".

And then--the Veil, the Veil of color. It drops as drops the night on southern seas--vast, sudden, unanswering. There is Hate behind it, and Cruelty and Tears. As one peers through its intricate, unfathomable pattern of ancient, old, old design, one sees blood and guilt and misunderstanding. And yet it hangs there, this Veil, between then and now, between Pale and Colored and Black and White--between You and Me. Surely it is but a thought-thing, tenuous, intangible; yet just as surely is it true and terrible and not in our little day may you and I lift it. We may feverishly unravel its edges and even climb slow with giant shears to where its ringed and gilded top nestles close to the throne of Eternity. But as we work and climb we shall see through streaming eyes and hear with aching ears, lynching and murder, cheating and despising, degrading and lying, so flashed and flashed through this vast hanging darkness that the Doer never sees the Deed and the Victim knows not the Victor and Each hate All in wild and bitter ignorance. Listen, O Isles, to those voices from within the Veil, for they portray the most human hurt of the Twentieth Cycle.

↑ (best and most lyrical statements on the Veil)

就像其他对黑人、对女性境遇敏感的社会学家一样，Du Bois因为个人身份的原因，把大部分时候都把重心放在了种族及其延伸问题上。最经典的作品是《费城黑人》(studying race scientifically: The Philadelphia Negro)。深入实地地对这些群体进行研究之后，其实破除旧神话的方式都有点大同小异：种族也好，性别也好，这个名词本身代表的差别真的那么大吗，有多少是由它所象征的文化意义决定的？

印象比较深的一句话是：he concludes that crime is a "symptom of countless wrong social conditions".

Double Consciousness/"Twoness"部分提到了齐美尔的stranger理论（类似的境遇和身份问题）。

比如美国黑人，在社会身份上具有二重性：作为美国公民，作为黑人。有个描述非常有意思：simultaneously outsiders and insiders, or more specifically, outsiders within.

种族研究，我觉得最有意义的一点在于，其中包含的很多问题都可以套用进各类弱势群体的考量。身份认同，社会歧视，资源断档，等等。它是最有力的先驱。