Du Bois’ concept of double consciousness is based on the idea of a dual presence in African American consciousness; ‘this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others, of measuring one's soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity.’ (Du Bois 1994:3) The concept helps to explain people’s subjective experience in many situations of social inequality. Du Bois’ role as an black activist meant he did not develop or get to see the relevance of his ideas to other minorities, but his place in the sociological discipline and his concept of double consciousness created a foundation for future scholars and activists on race theory. Du Bois’ concept continues to penetrate society today, especially for African American US citizens, often through contemporary arts and media. However, while it remains a feature of racial identities, the concept needs to evolve to fit the reader complexity of social identity in the early twenty first century.I will begin by discussing the meaning and criticisms of double consciousness then explain how this is relevant and has developed in sociology, finally analysing its relevance in racial identities today.
Du Bois argues that this ‘two-ness’ is omnipresent in the lives of African Americans, while this may have become less dominant in an arguably more diverse modern US society, it remains a significant undercurrent in the lives of African Americans. (Du Bois 1994) The concept covers both that of the self and of society: the self’s dual identity consists of both internalisation by African-Americans of white contempt and the reaction of an additional perspective (’gifted second sight’). Societally, double identity consists of African-Americans as having fewer civic rights but no less of the duties or responsibilities : these create diverging sets of un-reconciled ideals or ‘strivings’. (ibid) Du Bois’ theory is particularly resonant because of his lived experience of racial oppression, active political struggle and engagement in anti-racism in USA. While DuBois’ writing is compelling, it is largely through the lens of the early twentieth century black experience because he had a political objective – this could be a reason why he didn’t develop the idea that the same double consciousness could apply to women or indigenous North Americans. In the future, scholars would highlight the idea as a breakthrough: to ‘animate a dream of global co-operation among peoples of colour’ (Gilroy 1993). In this respect, double consciousness is not exclusive to racial identity, but also to all other 'social actors’. The concept surrounds the idea of ‘looking at one’s self through the eyes of others’ (ibid) Du Bois, like Hegel, seeks to illustrate how our sense of self is created in a dialogue that is continually subject to implicit power relations and societal constructs. (Meer, N. 2018). This insight shows that we have different, competing views about ourselves – that we view ourselves through the eyes of others. This view of the self is intimately linked to Goffman’s theory (1965) – representation of self in everyday life, and Mead (1934), social interactionism. This could show the concept as important, however it shows that it is not unique. Much like Meer’s critique (2018) following the lines of Hegel, the idea of the self as being filtered through the eyes of others is not unique, but has particular ideological force when strongly articulated by someone deeply affected by the persistent psychological stress it brings.
Du Bois’ concept was revolutionary to sociology, but with time, his concept has evolved and become a starting point for much critical theory. Some critical sociologists have argued that Du Bois straightforwardly adopted a Hegelian approach such as Zolatova (Per Caritatem 2018): “Du Bois employs Hegel’s logic to explicate elite African American Consciousness at the turn of the century.”. However, I would argue that Du Bois’ theory has an originality that was unheard of in the height of racial prejudice to which he lived in. He adopted Hegelian ‘logic’ rather than using his approach in entirety. Many sociologists convey the uniqueness of his concept in a time of intense prejudice: Meer (2018) spoke of his ‘remarkable intellectual originality’. The concept has encouraged other critical race theorists, like that of Gilroy (1993), which helped us see race as a social construction rather than a biological given. This shows how while the concept may not be as present in its original intent, it has helped dramatically in the development of racial theory in sociology. Franz Fanon (2008) demonstrates the potency of the concept in sociological race theory today: in his book 'Black skin, white masks’ , he demonstrates how double consciousness shows up in African American behaviour – adopting lifestyles & characteristics of European whites. Another reason why Du Bois’ concept is fundamental to racial sociology is because it is used to explain other dynamics – gender, colonialism, xenophobia – as well as race. This is often shown in contemporary society in the arts. One example is the exhibition ‘2×2 Collective: Double Consciousness' at the Arts Centre of the Capital Region in New York (Time Union 2018). For example, the dual identity of women is explored by Johnson in her own series of drawings entitled "Portrait of the Artist as an Arrogant American.” Johnson delves into the marriage equality debate in the USA. ‘The Seance Series’ bring together two famous figures, a man and a woman: the two playing a game of chess in which Emily Dickinson's only piece is a revolver tucked in drawer. This exhibition shows the development of Du Bois’ theory in contemporary theory; his original idea has been developed making it reverent to racial identity, and identity in general, today. Arguably, the concept isn’t unique, but useful alongside other terms like the ‘Generalised other’: this is the notion that a person has the same expectations that others have about societal norms and actions and thus serves to show their relation to the other as a member of a specific societal system (Allan 2013). Any time that an actor tries to imagine what is expected of them, they are taking on the perspective of the generalised other. (Mead 1934) Du Bois was significant as ‘one of the most imaginative, perceptive, and prolific founders of the sociological discipline’ (Zuckerman 2014), and his achievements are significant as others have used his theory to develop their own theories, to which are more applicable to todays idea of racial identity, like that of Gilroy. However, his concept, in it’s original state, is limited and needs evolving.
‘Double Consciousness’ remains a helpful way of explaining racial identity today, but in order for it to accommodate identities in general, the concept must be developed. The arts is a common medium through which the double consciousness felt by African Americans is projected: famous director Steve McQueen conveyed his feelings of double consciousness in the competitive film world, saying, “As a black person, I can’t be anything other than who I am, or be looked upon in other people’s gaze as who they think I am.” (Brockes 2018). This conveys the sense of a dualist identity: the idea that African Americans are viewed through a specific lens in American society, creating an inability for one to be his unfiltered self. In an industry dominated by white men, with only 1.3 out of every 10 directors being people of colour (Socialsciences.ucla.edu 2018), McQueen demonstrates the consistent and persisting struggle of African Americans to assimilate into a country dominated by ‘whites’. The idea is also evident in contemporary music: at the end of J Cole’s song, he says, “Niggas from the hood is the best actors/Gotta learn to speak in ways that’s unnatural/just to make it through the job interviews.’ This conveys the persistence of double consciousness in society today, a western society that is typically, while not entirely, characterised by individualism and acceptance. The ‘Black Literature’ journal released some notable interviews that show to potency of double consciousness in racial identity today (Mustapha, 2018). One of the interviewees, Gbemi, quoted ‘White fear- that’s exactly what I meant when I walk into the stores in NY. I feel outside myself. I’m watching myself making sure I don’t look suspicious.’. This portrays a commonality of double consciousness in African Americans, with the interviewee exposing his feeling of separation from the white community in current culture. Arguably, ion order to be more applicable to identities today, the term has to develop to accommodate more complex social and racial identities – the idea of triple consciousness and confusion of identity. For example, the identity of an African American woman as part of the LGBTQ+ community. The significant different layers of social identity and inequality makes the concept less of a feature of racial identity today, but create a strong foundation of thought. The feeling of ‘double consciousness’ is not exclusive to African Americans, a concept Du Bois failed to cover. The concept is evident in other ‘displaced’ minority literature, for example, Jhumpa Lahiri’s book she explains the twoness of her life as a Indian immigrant: “Like many immigrant offspring I felt intense pressure to be two things, loyal to the old world and fluent in the new, approved of on either side of the hyphen.”
Double consciousness is based on the idea of a dual presence in African American consciousness. The concept, coined by Du Bois (1994), is of great sociological interest as it has formed the basis of much critical racial theory. However, it is less valuable as it does not conform to the great complexity of identity today; the concept has been developed by other sociologists like Gilroy (1993), making it more applicable to contemporary theory. Shown primarily through the contemporary arts, the feeling of dual identity among African Americans is persistent in the USA, with film, literature and music all conveying double consciousness in their message. In contemporary society, however, the multi-faceted nature of identity, for example being a gay woman, makes the ideas of triple consciousness, or a multiplicity of identities. a more significant feature of identity, in general, today.