Includes bibliographical references and index.

Du Bois sets out to disprove one of the most commonly cited "proofs" of the biological inferiority of black peoples: that before European influence, the continent of Africa lacked civilization, culture, and even history. Du Bois's decision to open his book on the history of Africa by destroying any biological understanding of race was thus both perfectly logical and absolutely revolutionary. Du Bois employs an incredible array of sources to prove that Africa's history is as long and complex as that of any other continent. As he ably shows, Africa fostered a number of thriving and advanced civilizations until the European slave trade and colonialism tore them apart. Africa's poverty and civil wars - which, he demonstrates, the various nation-states of the time were trying to overcome with laudable results - reflect not genetic inferiority, but the legacy of imperialism.

Broad in scope, Du Bois draws on extensive research to cover in detail the history of both Africans and people of African descent around the world from prehistoric times to the present. He includes everything from a study of Ancient Egypt, to an account of the Haitian slave revolt, to an analysis of educational systems in various African nations. Throughout all stages of history, he emphasizes the breadth of black accomplishment while revealing the extent of the often overwhelming obstacles that black people encountered and overcame. There can be no true democracy anywhere, Du Bois maintains, as long as western imperialist states continue to exploit Africa and oppress its peoples. Only by recognizing Africans as individuals with human rights can the West hope to prevent the spread of fascist and totalitarian governments and promote peace worldwide. With a new introduction by Professor Wilson J. Moses of Penn State University, this new edition provides a fresh look at a book that remains an essential piece of historical and civil rights scholarship. (Publisher).

W. E. B. Du Bois was a public intellectual, sociologist, and activist on behalf of the African American community. He profoundly shaped black political culture in the United States through his founding role in the NAACP, as well as internationally through the Pan-African movement. DuBois's sociological and historical research on African-American communities and culture broke ground in many areas, including the history of the post-Civil War Reconstruction period. Du Bois was also a prolific author of novels, autobiographical accounts, innumerable editorials and journalistic pieces, and several works of history.

The Oxford W. E. B. Du Bois is a collection of Du Bois's works in 19 volumes. Each work is introduced by a brief essay by an eminent scholar and each volume includes a general introduction from the series editor, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Spanning over a half-century, this collection is essential for anyone interested in African American history.

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