In 1897 a promising young sociologist, William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (1868-1963), was given a temporary post as Assistant in Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania in order to conduct in-depth studies on the Negro community in Philadelphia. The product of those studies was the first great empirical book on the Negro in American society. One hundred years after its original publication by the University of Pennsylvania Press, The Philadelphia Negro remains a classic work. It is the first, and perhaps still the finest, example of engaged sociological scholarship--the kind of work that, in contemplating social reality, helps to change it. In his introduction of this centennial edition, Elijah Anderson traces Du Bois's life before his move to Philadelphia. He then examines how the neighborhood studied by Du Bois has changed over the years, and finally he compares the status of blacks today with their status when the book was initially published.
Read this book! Not only was "The Philadelphia Negro" a groundbreaking piece of sociological research in its day (the late 19th century), the book also goes a long way to explain the historical roots of much of what we see today in Philadelphia and other cities in America. Organized simply and effectively into clear chapters, we learn how African Americans really lived in Philadelphia after emancipation; detailing family and household arrangements, employment, education, health and religion. Elijah Anderson's introduction is a fantastic bonus, helping to illuminate the book even more. Everyone living in Philadelphia should read this!
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