W. E. B. Du Bois was one of the great African American intellectuals of the early twentieth century. He was a prominent civil rights leader, sociologist, historian, educator, author of several works of fiction, and one of the founding figures of Pan-Africanism. Du Bois's works are filled with allusions to the classical mythology, philosophy, and history that permeated his education. In the first book-length discussion of the topic, David Withun examines the influence of classical authors on Du Bois's thoughts about education, the arts, government, and society. The influence of classical philosophy, particularly that of Plato and Cicero, is apparent in some of Du Bois's most distinctive ideas, such as the concept of the Talented Tenth, his opposition to Booker T. Washington's industrial education, and in his support of propaganda through art.Withun also explores Du Bois's critique of the classical tradition in his responses to modern racism and colonialism. While Du Bois adopted a number of ideas from the classical tradition, he also used them to critique what he saw as a tradition gone awry. Alongside Du Bois's critique of the classical tradition, he also exhibited an increasing interest in the history--ancient and modern--of Africa and Asia. In his attempts to combat modern prejudice, Du Bois appealed to the long traditions of thought of peoples outside of Europe, in several instances pioneering the research of non-European history. Withun argues that Du Bois's absorption of the classical tradition and simultaneous appreciation of the history of Africa and Asia culminated in a modern cosmopolitanism, one that calls for a more inclusive appreciation of global culture.

AcknowledgementsIntroductionChapter 1: The Classical Education of W. E. B. Du BoisThe Classics and Du Bois's Enduring Moral VisionDu Bois's High School and College EducationDu Bois's Education at HarvardClassicism and Pragmatism at HarvardDu Bois, Santayana, and Platonic AestheticsDu Bois Inside and Outside Western CivilizationConclusionChapter 2: American Archias: Cicero, Epic Poetry, and The Souls of Black FolkCicero and The Souls of Black FolkAfrican American History and Epic PoetryThe Autobiography of a Culture HeroDu Bois's Epic NovelsCitizenship and Humanitas in Du Bois's ThoughtConclusionChapter 3: The Influence of Plato on the Thought of W. E. B. Du BoisContemporary Context: Plato and Egalitarian ElitismSources for Du Bois's Egalitarian ElitismDu Bois's Commitment to TruthThe Philosopher-Kings and the Talented TenthDu Bois and Washington on Civilization and EducationThe Talented Tenth and the Message of Black FolkThe Sorrow Songs and the Allegory of the CaveMarxism and Platonism in Du Bois's ThoughtConclusionChapter 4: Anti-Racist Metamorphoses in Du Bois's Classical ReferencesBackground: Whiteness and the ClassicsA Time Before Race: Ancient Culture as Non-Racial CultureBlack People in AntiquityClassical Subversion in the African American TraditionConclusionChapter 5: The History of the "Darker Peoples" of the World: Afrocentrism and Cosmopolitanism in the Later Thought of W. E. B. Du BoisThe Miseducation of the NegroThe Negro and The Star of EthiopiaThe World and AfricaThe Unity of the "Darker Peoples"African in Modern History"Home" to AfricaConclusionConclusionBibliographyIndex