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THE IDEOLOGY OF THE GRECO-ROMAN WORLD AND ITS EFFECT ON W.E.B. DU BOIS: A STUDY OF SUBVERSIVE THEMES IN AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY A Thesis submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. TRENT UNIVERSITY Peterborough, Ontario, Canada (c) Copyright by Katrina H.B. Keefer History M.A. Program Convocation September 2009 Library and Archives Bibliotheque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington OttawaONK1A0N4 OttawaONK1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-53217-1 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-53217-1 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lntemet, prefer, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privee, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1+1 Canada ABSTRACT The Ideology of the Greco-Roman World and its Effect on W.E.B. Du Bois: a Study of Subversive Themes in African-American History Katrina H.B. Keefer This thesis explores how the traditional classical education of the European elite acted to demonstrate to W.E.B. Du Bois another view of history, and further examines how Du Bois used the material of the ancient world to convey his then-subversive message of equality. By focusing on Du Bois' early life and accomplishments, then on the ancient world both as it is understood today, and as it was understood and appreciated in his time, we can compare his experience to the contemporary nineteenth century and early twentieth century African-American ideology, and determine how Du Bois uniquely used his mastery of the Classics to further his philosophy and goals. In a close study of Du Bois1 own published and unpublished texts and letters, we can see how he used Classical references and language to highlight his erudition and to emphasize the agency of his people within history; prior to Du Bois' time, the agency of Africans in empire-building and ancient architecture was hotly debated, making Du Bois' prevalent Classical metaphors a challenge to accepted views of his period. Keywords: Du Bois, African-American, Classical, Cultural Themes ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author would like to humbly express her profound thanks to Professors Tim Stapleton and Sarah Keefer, without whom this thesis would never have become what it is. Their tireless work as sounding boards, their constructive criticism, and their unflagging encouragement were crucial to the formation of this work. She also offers grateful thanks to Professors David Sheinin and Ivana Elbl, both of whom encouraged her to take this direction with her life, and in doing so, showed her the path to a joyful and productive future. David's unfailing support and enthusiasm were wonderful, and Ivana's advice kept her going when her energy waned. Thanks also go to Professor Rodney Fitzsimons, whose advice on matters of Ancient Greek and classical myth were of tremendous help to the author. Thanks go also to Steve Sharpe for keeping the author sane during the arduous task of writing, and deep gratitude is offered to Jonathan Noble, Matthew and Carissa Schneider, Ian James, Adam Brockie, Michael Mejia, Stacey Lavallie, Josh Carley, Jennifer McCallum, Gary and Cynthia Halstead, Craig Birkhimer, Jesse Waters, and Jennifer Lynn Alfredson, who put up with her wild enthusiasm for her subject, and encouraged her to succeed at the expense of seeing her less and less. Thanks are also owed to her father, Richard Keefer, for listening with great enthusiasm to his daughter's rambling about African history. Last but never least, the author must thank her ever- patient husband, Chris Kurak, without whom none of this would ever be possible. His love, support, and interest got her through every hurdle, and lent her the courage to dream she could finish, and to follow her love of language into academia. iii Table of Contents Page Abstract ii Acknowledgements iii Table of Contents iv Introduction 1 1. W.E.B. Du Bois's Life 14 2. The Colour of the Classics 42 3. The Context of the Times 71 4. W.E.B. Du Bois's Classical Metaphors 94 5. Conclusions 121 Bibliography 128 iv 1 INTRODUCTION W.E.B Du Bois was one of the most iconic African-American figures of the last two centuries. His influence and determination inspired the statesmen and activists of the Civil Rights movement, and his unswerving belief in the equality of his people uplifted countless black American citizens. His rich rhetoric and fiery editorials provided a voice for a disenfranchised people and demanded respect from the white establishment, while his influence spread well beyond the land of his birth; Du Bois is often credited as one of the fathers of Pan-Africanism,1 and a powerful symbol of black independence within Africa. In his long and prolific career first as an academic and pioneer in Sociology, Du Bois was a constant champion of his people, proving himself the respected equal of the white educated elite. As an editor and as an activist, Du Bois became one of the preeminent voices of the African-American, demonstrating time and again that a black man could earn respect without offering submission first. Moreover, Du Bois's mastery of the classical world permitted him to demand equality, to claim agency for peoples of African descent in the cherished Greco-Roman world which formed the background for 1 Pan-Africanism was the movement inspired by men like Du Bois, Marcus Garvey, and Edward Wilmot Blyden in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It is a socio-political movement which attempts to inspire the differing African nations and cultures to unite in order to present a single front to the outside world, pool resources, and be more able to defend themselves against outside aggression. Ultimately, the movement calls for a unified Africa, and close contact with the cultures resultant from the African diaspora. Ali A. Mazrui, "Pan-Africanism: From Poetry to Power" in Issue: A Journal of Opinion, Vol. 23, No. 1, pp. 35-38; J. Ayo Langley, "Pan-Africanism in Paris, 1924-36" in The Journal of Modern African Studies, Vol. 7, No. 1 (Apr., 1969), pp. 69-94; Patricia W. Romero, "W.E.B. DuBois, Pan- Africanists, and Africa 1963-1973" in Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 6, No. 4 (Jun., 1976), pp. 321-336; John Marcum, "Many Roads to Pan-Africanism" in Africa Today, Vol. 10, No. 1 (Jan., 1963), pp. 6-9; Wilson C. McWilliams and Jonathon Wise Polier, "Pan-Africanism and the Dilemmas of National Development" in Phylon, Vol. 25, No. 1 (1st Qtr., 1964), pp. 44-64; Sonia Delgado-Tall, "The New Negro Movement and the African Heritage in a Pan-Africanist Perspective" in Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 31, No. 3, (Jan., 2001), pp. 288-310; Imanuel Geiss, "Pan-Africanism" in Journal of Contemporary History, Vol. 4, No. 1, (Jan., 1969), pp. 187-200; Charles F. Andrain, "The Pan-African Movement: The Search for Organization and Community" in Phylon, Vol. 23, No. 1 (1st Qtr., 1962), pp. 5-17 white identity, and finally, to use the same mythology familiar to the European context as canvas for his subversive metaphors and personal ideology. Du Bois' reliance upon classical metaphors is not unknown2 - this thesis' contribution is the theory that Du Bois's known predilection for classical rhetoric as a device for equality hearkens to his early exposure to the Greco-Roman world's literature. His construction of an identification of race and the uplift of non-white ethnicities is therefore based initially upon assumptions drawn from Du Bois' understanding of the ancient world as opposed to the relatively unsegregated and therefore anomalous experience of his Massachusetts youth. For the time in which he was born and raised, Du Bois was an anomaly. In his later years, he recognized the series of incredible chances which had formed him into the man he became, and was shaken to imagine how much chance could have been involved in his development. Had he been born in the Southern United States, been raised by a woman less determined and hard-working than his mother, or had his school principal not permitted him access to white academic streams of thought, the man who co-founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and was heralded as a father of Pan-Africanism, might not have been.