Thinkers for our time: W.E.B. Du Bois

Thu 25 Nov 2021, 16:00 - 17:00

Accessibility
Live subtitling
Online event

Contact the events team for further information about accessibility at this event

Black and white photograph of Du Bois
Venue
The British Academy on Zoom Webinar
Price
Free

W.E.B. Du Bois (1868–1963) stands as one of the most important and influential civil rights activists and intellectuals of the 20th century. As co-founder of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and author of the seminal book The Souls of Black Folk, Du Bois’s profound writings and analysis of race and racism continue to shape the way scholars think about these issues today. While Du Bois is arguably best remembered as a sociologist, he refused to confine his work to a single academic discipline, form or genre. A true polymath, he is also celebrated as a historian, philosopher, fiction writer, editor and pioneer in the field of data visualisation. Join our expert panel as they reflect on his extraordinary life and legacy.

Thinkers for our time is a series re-thinking the life and work of influential figures from across the Academy’s disciplines, particularly history and the arts. Previous events in the series have explored Sigmund Freud, Sylvia Pankhurst, Christina Rosetti and Charlie Chaplin.

Speakers:
Professor Hakim Adi, Professor of the History of Africa and the African Diaspora, University of Chichester
Professor Paul Goodwin, Chair of Contemporary Art and Urbanism, University of the Arts London; independent curator
Professor Sharon Monteith, Distinguished Professor of American Literature and Cultural History, Nottingham Trent University

Chair: Jonathan Derbyshire, Executive opinion editor, Financial Times

This event will have live subtitles provided by StageTEXT, delivered by MyClearText.

Free, booking required

This event will take place on Zoom Webinar. The link to join the event will be sent to you in a confirmation email. A recording of this event will be added to our YouTube channel after the event has taken place. Booking a place at a British Academy event constitutes your acceptance of our terms and conditions. If you have any questions about this event please email [email protected].

Photo by C. M. Battey / Stringer / Hulton Archive via Getty Images.

Sign up to our email newsletters