Eugene F. Jr.. Provenzo, ed. DuBois on Education. Walnut Creek: Altamira Press, 2002. vii +
328 pp. $75.00 (cloth), ISBN 978-0-7591-0200-2.
Reviewed by Jon Brudvig (Social and Behavioral Sciences Division, University of Mary)
Published on H-Education (August, 2003)
The Advocate of the Talented Tenth as Educational Philosopher
ing collection of DuBois’s work on sociology, W. E. B.
DuBois: On Sociology and the Black Community, Provenzo
succeeds in helping readers appreciate the full breadth
and scope of DuBois’s ideas on education.[3]
The Advocate of the Talented Tenth as Educational
Philosopher
“William Edward Burghardt DuBois (1868-1963) is
not typically thought of as an educational writer,” notes
Eugene Provenzo Jr. in the opening sentence of his fascinating collection of essays, DuBois on Education (p. 1).
Echoing the earlier sentiments of Derrick P. Alridge, Professor Provenzo postulates that W. E. B. DuBois was one
of the twentieth century’s great, albeit forgotten, educational thinkers. The lack of attention paid to DuBois’s
educational views is particularly troublesome, notes the
author, given their “relevance to the social, economic,
and political realities of contemporary African-American
life.”[1]
DuBois on Education begins with a brief biographical
overview of DuBois’s remarkable life and achievements.
Provenzo skillfully uses a detailed introduction to prepare the readers for a deeper understanding of the essays
to follow, highlighting DuBois’s assertion “that education was a two-edged sword, which could be used to either to liberate or subjugate specific social and cultural
groups” (p. 4). Dubois, however, was determined that
education be used as a powerful weapon of resistance
and as a source of African-American empowerment in
their unending struggle for equality. The thorough inEugene Provenzo’s discovery of DuBois occurred in troduction also addresses DuBois’s views regarding the
1968 when he read the classic text The Souls of Black
role of education for “the Talented Tenth,” the selected
Folks. DuBois’s powerful intellect and frank discussion
few of college-educated blacks destined to assume posiof controversial issues captivated the author. Further tions of leadership within the African-American commustudy eventually convinced Provenzo that DuBois was nity. The author also uses the introduction to explain the
a gifted educational philosopher. While scholars have differing educational philosophies of DuBois and Washpaid a great deal of attention to the running debate be- ington, paying particular attention to industrial traintween W. E. B. DuBois’s and Booker T. Washington’s
ing and Washington’s accommodationist philosophy of
contrasting educational theories, only a few of them,
“make haste slowly.” The introduction culminates with a
most notably Herbert Aptheker and Derrick P. Aldridge, discussion of DuBois’s educational ideas during his later
have identified DuBois’s contributions as an educational years, noting the aging scholar’s Afro-centric and Panwriter and thinker.[2] Provenzo has attempted to cor- African views.
rect the slight by compiling DuBois’s educational writProvenzo’s text is a well-organized collection of
ings spanning some sixty years (1899-1959) and placing
DuBois’s most important educational writings and
them in a critical and historical context.
speeches gleaned from a variety of sources. The twentyInspired by Dan Green and Edwin Driver’s pioneer1
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two selections, drawn from DuBois’s copious publications and speeches, many of them inaccessible to the average reader, are organized topically into five thematic
strands, followed by a brief concluding section aptly titled “DuBois, Education and Literature.” Part One examines DuBois’s own educational experience, both as
a young graduate student at Harvard during the 1890s
and a young teacher confronting poverty and discrimination in rural Tennessee. The selection of essays in the
next section, culled from early essays later incorporated
into the classic texts The Souls of Black Folks and Dusk
of Dawn, examines DuBois’s views regarding the link between education and social power. For DuBois, black colleges should “seek the social regeneration of the Negro,
and it must help in the solution of problems of race contact and cooperation. And finally, beyond all of this, it
must develop men” (p. 62). The section is especially interesting for readers wanting to pinpoint the genesis of
DuBois’s call for a “Talented Tenth.” The essays demonstrate DuBois’s passionate belief in achieving greater access to higher education for African Americans. In his
opinion, the problems facing the black community required “the intelligence of a society permeated by that
larger vision of life and broader tolerance which are fostered by the college and university” (p. 70). Thus, education and work were the levers that could uplift people, but
work had to be “inspired by the right ideals and guided
by intelligence.” For DuBois, “education must not simply
teach work–it must teach life” (p. 92).
Normal and Agricultural Institute’s model of industrial
education, something Provenzo calls DuBois’s “act of
conscious opposition to a system of economic and social discrimination that dominated the United States” (p.
163). Instead of accepting disenfranchisement, civil inferiority, and the lack of funding for black institutions of
higher learning, DuBois demanded the right to vote, civic
equality, and the education of youth according to ability
(pp. 168-69).
DuBois on Education concludes with a compilation
of speeches and articles highlighting DuBois’s views regarding the purpose and scope of higher education for
African Americans, making special note of the conditions at Fisk, Hampton, Wilberforce and Atlanta University. The selections also highlight DuBois’s growing Afro-centric views and his firm belief in encouraging the growth of African-American social, economic,
and political institutions. The diverse selections vividly
demonstrate how DuBois’s own educational philosophy
had been shaped and refined by his own life experiences.
The sheer breadth, scope, and variety of selections included in DuBois on Education are remarkable. Only a
scholar well versed in the nuances of DuBois’s life and
writings could have succeeded in such a daunting endeavor. Researchers interested in the history of American education should take notice. Provenzo’s fascinating collection, gleaned from the pages of popular magazines, university addresses, autobiographical sources, The
Parts Three and Four, although interesting, cover a Crisis, and a host of professional journals clearly demongreat deal of familiar ground. The essays and lectures strates that W. E. B. Du Bois was, without question, one
of the twentieth century’s leading educational thinkers
compiled in section three include DuBois’s assessment
and philosophers. Moreover, the collection of essays
of the Freedman’s Bureau, accompanied by critiques and
views relating to elementary and secondary education. helps readers understand how DuBois linked thought to
DuBois’s contention that social environment plays a crit- action. DuBois did not live in an academic Ivory Tower
ical role in a child’s educational success is worth noting, isolated from the real-life experience of others. His perespecially in light of the recent No Child Left Behind leg- sistent pleas for educational reform were intrinsically
linked to his passionate desire to free African Americans
islation of 2002. “The larger part of the training of human
from the shackles of poverty, race prejudice, and outside
beings,” noted DuBois, “must come from the social environment in which they live, and when they are found de- control.
ficient, when the results of the training are not what we
The text’s annotated bibliography is a valuable tool,
wish, we must seek not simply to improve the schools especially the final section of DuBois’s works relating
but just as strenuously to improve the social surround- to education. The bibliography, while helpful, omits a
ings, the social opportunities, and the social heritage of few important studies relevant to topics and themes disthe unfortunate and untrained” (p. 121).
cussed in the text. While Provenzo rightly mentions
James D. Anderson as “the best source available on the
The essays in Parts Three and Four also highlight
DuBois’s long running debate with the accommodation- debate between Washington and DuBois and the conists, advocates of industrial training, northern philan- troversy over the Hampton Model” (p. 308), he fails to
thropists, and Booker T. Washington. The selections include the scholarly contributions of others, especially
elaborate DuBois’s personal misgivings with Hampton August Meier, Robert Engs and Donald Spivey.[4]
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Perhaps the only problem with the text is its lack of
footnotes or endnotes. DuBois makes mention of several
contemporary events and people in a number of these
essays. While DuBois scholars and historians may understand the relevance of these passing names, students
of education may have a difficult time understanding the
historical significance of the people and events in question. For example, in chapter 5 readers are introduced
to the achievements of a number of prominent African
Americans as part of DuBois’s development of his idea
for a “Talented Tenth.” While educated readers may recognize the names of Nat Turner, Sojourner Truth, and
David Walker, they may have to consult an encyclopedia
to learn about the achievements of Alexander Crummel,
McCune Smith, and others. The inclusion of endnotes, although an onerous task, would enable the author to elaborate on some of the issues raised by DuBois or place the
people, topics, and events mentioned in DuBois’s essays
within a wider historical context. Moreover, endnotes
could also point the reader to the latest scholarship in
the field, thereby stimulating further research and discussion. While Provenzo addresses some of these issues
in his brief chapter introductions, the responsibility ultimately rests with the reader to explore these unexplained
points in greater detail. Minor editorial errors could
also have been avoided. For example, Provenzo thanks
the staff at the “Moorland-Spingaren Research Center at
Howard University” and the staff of the “Schomberg Research Center,” misspelling both Spingarn and Schomburg (p. xii).
of education. Interested readers will appreciate the contemporary relevance of DuBois’s ideas, especially when
viewed within the historical and cultural context of the
modern civil rights movement.
Notes:
[1]. Derrick Alridge, “Conceptualizing a DuBoisian
Philosophy of Education: Toward a Model for AfricanAmerican Education,” Educational Theory 49 (1999): p.
359; quoted in Provenzo (p. 1).
[2]. Consult Herbert Aptheker, ed., The Education of
Black People: Ten Critiques 1906-1960 (Amerherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1973); and Derrick Alridge, “Conceptualizing a DuBoisian Philosophy of Education: Toward a Model for African-American Education,” Educational Theory 49 (1999): pp. 359-80. Another
source worth examining is Ben Burks, “Unity and Diversity through Education: A Comparison of the Thought of
W. E. B. DuBois and John Dewey” Journal of Thought 32
(Spring 1997): pp. 99-110.
[3]. Dan S. Green and Edwin D. Driver, eds., W. E. B.
DuBois: On Sociology and the Black Community (Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 1978).
[4]. For information regarding those omitted see August Meier, Negro Thought in America, 1880-1915 (Ann
Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1963); Robert Francis Engs, Educating the Disenfranchised and Disinherited
(Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1999); and
Donald Spivey, Education for the New Slavery (Westport,
All things considered, DuBois on Education is a re- Conn: Greenwood Press, 1978).
markable collection of essays spanning sixty years. The
Copyright (c) 2003 by H-Net, all rights reserved. Hfinished product skillfully weaves the most important
words and ideas of W. E. B. DuBois on education into Net permits the redistribution and reprinting of this work
a very well organized and readable volume. Even more for nonprofit, educational purposes, with full and accuimportant, DuBois on Education has introduced an inno- rate attribution to the author, web location, date of pubvative methodological approach that can be adapted to lication, originating list, and H-Net: Humanities & Social
other contemporary activists, thinkers, and philosophers Sciences Online. For other uses contact the Reviews editorial staff: [email protected].
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Citation: Jon Brudvig. Review of Provenzo, Eugene F. Jr.., ed., DuBois on Education. H-Education, H-Net Reviews.
August, 2003.
URL: http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=8004
Copyright © 2003 by H-Net, all rights reserved. H-Net permits the redistribution and reprinting of this work for
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nonprofit, educational purposes, with full and accurate attribution to the author, web location, date of publication,
originating list, and H-Net: Humanities & Social Sciences Online. For any other proposed use, contact the Reviews
editorial staff at [email protected].
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