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The W. E. B. Du Bois Lectures
Lines of Descent: W. E. B. Du Bois and the Emergence of Identity
W. E. B. Du Bois never felt so at home as when he was a student at the University of Berlin. But Du Bois was also American to his core, scarred but not crippled by the racial humiliations of his homeland. In Lines of Descent, Kwame Anthony Appiah traces the twin lineages of Du Bois’ American experience and German apprenticeship, showing how they shaped the great African-American scholar’s ideas of race and social identity.
At Harvard, Du Bois studied with such luminaries as William James and George Santayana, scholars whose contributions were largely intellectual. But arriving in Berlin in 1892, Du Bois came under the tutelage of academics who were also public men. The economist Adolf Wagner had been an advisor to Otto von Bismarck. Heinrich von Treitschke, the historian, served in the Reichstag, and the economist Gustav von Schmoller was a member of the Prussian state council. These scholars united the rigorous study of history with political activism and represented a model of real-world engagement that would strongly influence Du Bois in the years to come.
With its romantic notions of human brotherhood and self-realization, German culture held a potent allure for Du Bois. Germany, he said, was the first place white people had treated him as an equal. But the prevalence of anti-Semitism allowed Du Bois no illusions that the Kaiserreich was free of racism. His challenge, says Appiah, was to take the best of German intellectual life without its parochialism—to steal the fire without getting burned.
At Harvard, Du Bois studied with such luminaries as William James and George Santayana, scholars whose contributions were largely intellectual. But arriving in Berlin in 1892, Du Bois came under the tutelage of academics who were also public men. The economist Adolf Wagner had been an advisor to Otto von Bismarck. Heinrich von Treitschke, the historian, served in the Reichstag, and the economist Gustav von Schmoller was a member of the Prussian state council. These scholars united the rigorous study of history with political activism and represented a model of real-world engagement that would strongly influence Du Bois in the years to come.
With its romantic notions of human brotherhood and self-realization, German culture held a potent allure for Du Bois. Germany, he said, was the first place white people had treated him as an equal. But the prevalence of anti-Semitism allowed Du Bois no illusions that the Kaiserreich was free of racism. His challenge, says Appiah, was to take the best of German intellectual life without its parochialism—to steal the fire without getting burned.
238 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 27, 2014
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About the author
Kwame Anthony Appiah
113 books442 followersKwame Anthony Appiah, the president of the PEN American Center, is the author of The Ethics of Identity, Thinking It Through: An Introduction to Contemporary Philosophy, The Honor Code and the prize-winning Cosmopolitanism. Raised in Ghana and educated in England, he has taught philosophy on three continents and is a former professor at Princeton University and currently has a position at NYU.
Series:
* Sir Patrick Scott Mystery (as Anthony Appiah)
Series:
* Sir Patrick Scott Mystery (as Anthony Appiah)
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 29, 2018
A good overview of WEB Du Bois and his intellectual trajectory in regards to race and what we now call identity. Appiah is a brilliant writer, eminently readable (as the saying goes), and a thoughtful philosopher.
January 3, 2026
This was a beautiful little book and makes important links between Dubois' genius and his background in German social theory debates.
January 4, 2016
Fascinating book on how the German Romantics and their ideals, views on the nation (or volk), it's geist (soul) and it's striving influenced Du Bois. This was in opposition to the liberal humanist idea of rights conferred by state, and allowed Du Bois to think of himself in terms of a second dual identity.
Du Bois's romantic inspired nationalism was broad and not chauvinist - perhaps even cosmopolitan - which at the time was not thought to be unusual.
Well written and argued, not a boring read.
Du Bois's romantic inspired nationalism was broad and not chauvinist - perhaps even cosmopolitan - which at the time was not thought to be unusual.
Well written and argued, not a boring read.
January 1, 2026
W. E. B. Du Bois – Der „Wagnerianer“ der schwarzen Befreiung
Wer den Panafrikanismus für eine rein afrikanische Eigengewächs hält, wird von Kwame Anthony Appiah in diesem Werk – basierend auf seinen „Du Bois Lectures“ an der Harvard University – sanft, aber bestimmt korrigiert. Der „Vater des Panafrikanismus“, W. E. B. Du Bois, so zeigt Appiah, schmiedete einige seiner schärfsten intellektuellen Waffen nicht in Accra oder Dakar, sondern in den Hörsälen Berlins. Mit detektivischer Präzision rekonstruiert Appiah die genealogischen Linien von Du Bois’ Denken und legt offen, wie tief dessen Vorstellungen von Rasse, Kultur und Geschichte in der deutschen Romantik und insbesondere im Denken Johann Gottfried Herders verwurzelt sind.
1. Die Ironie der Werkzeuge: Europa für Afrika nutzen
Das Buch ist eine philosophische Delikatesse. Appiah zeigt, wie Du Bois das romantische Konzept des Volksgeists appropriierte, um die Einzigartigkeit der schwarzen Erfahrung gegen rassistische Abwertung zu verteidigen. Es ist intellektuelle Piraterie in Reinform: Du Bois nimmt die Begriffe jener Kultur, die sich gerade selbst zur Nation erfindet, und wendet sie gegen die koloniale Ordnung. Panafrikanisch gelesen ist dies ein früher Akt der „Cognitive Justice“: Die Werkzeuge des Denkens werden nicht verworfen, sondern umfunktioniert – der Unterdrücker wird mit seinem eigenen begrifflichen Arsenal geschlagen.
2. Rasse als historisches Projekt, nicht als Biologie
Im Zentrum steht Appiahs Analyse von Du Bois’ berühmtem Essay „The Conservation of Races“. Hier wird deutlich, dass Du Bois Rasse nicht als biologisches Schicksal verstand, sondern als historisch gewachsene, kulturelle Mission. Panafrikanismus ist bei ihm kein genetischer Zufall, sondern ein bewusstes Bündnis von Geschichte, Erinnerung und politischem Willen. Wer dieses Kapitel liest, begreift: Panafrikanismus heißt, sich seine Ahnenreihe nicht bloß zu erben, sondern aktiv zu wählen – um aus ihr eine gemeinsame Zukunft zu entwerfen.
3. Der „verwurzelte Kosmopolitismus“
Appiah, selbst ein Grenzgänger zwischen Ghana, Großbritannien und den USA, erkennt in Du Bois einen geistigen Verwandten. Er zeigt, dass man zugleich überzeugter Panafrikanist und Kosmopolit sein kann. Die „Lines of Descent“ sind bei Du Bois keine Fesseln, sondern Orientierungslinien: Sie reichen zurück bis nach Kemet, führen aber ebenso durch die Metropolen der Moderne. Zugehörigkeit und Weltoffenheit erscheinen nicht als Gegensätze, sondern als produktive Spannung.
„Lines of Descent“ ist das Buch für alle, die begreifen wollen, dass der Panafrikanismus kein starrer Monolith, sondern ein lebendiger, widersprüchlicher Dialog ist. Mit Eleganz und intellektuellem Witz zeigt Appiah, dass Du Bois’ Denken gerade deshalb so wirkmächtig war, weil es die Trümmer europäischer Philosophie – man hört Heiner Müller leise mitsprechen – nicht beklagte, sondern zu einem neuen Fundament afrikanischer Selbstbehauptung verschmolz.
Wer den Panafrikanismus für eine rein afrikanische Eigengewächs hält, wird von Kwame Anthony Appiah in diesem Werk – basierend auf seinen „Du Bois Lectures“ an der Harvard University – sanft, aber bestimmt korrigiert. Der „Vater des Panafrikanismus“, W. E. B. Du Bois, so zeigt Appiah, schmiedete einige seiner schärfsten intellektuellen Waffen nicht in Accra oder Dakar, sondern in den Hörsälen Berlins. Mit detektivischer Präzision rekonstruiert Appiah die genealogischen Linien von Du Bois’ Denken und legt offen, wie tief dessen Vorstellungen von Rasse, Kultur und Geschichte in der deutschen Romantik und insbesondere im Denken Johann Gottfried Herders verwurzelt sind.
1. Die Ironie der Werkzeuge: Europa für Afrika nutzen
Das Buch ist eine philosophische Delikatesse. Appiah zeigt, wie Du Bois das romantische Konzept des Volksgeists appropriierte, um die Einzigartigkeit der schwarzen Erfahrung gegen rassistische Abwertung zu verteidigen. Es ist intellektuelle Piraterie in Reinform: Du Bois nimmt die Begriffe jener Kultur, die sich gerade selbst zur Nation erfindet, und wendet sie gegen die koloniale Ordnung. Panafrikanisch gelesen ist dies ein früher Akt der „Cognitive Justice“: Die Werkzeuge des Denkens werden nicht verworfen, sondern umfunktioniert – der Unterdrücker wird mit seinem eigenen begrifflichen Arsenal geschlagen.
2. Rasse als historisches Projekt, nicht als Biologie
Im Zentrum steht Appiahs Analyse von Du Bois’ berühmtem Essay „The Conservation of Races“. Hier wird deutlich, dass Du Bois Rasse nicht als biologisches Schicksal verstand, sondern als historisch gewachsene, kulturelle Mission. Panafrikanismus ist bei ihm kein genetischer Zufall, sondern ein bewusstes Bündnis von Geschichte, Erinnerung und politischem Willen. Wer dieses Kapitel liest, begreift: Panafrikanismus heißt, sich seine Ahnenreihe nicht bloß zu erben, sondern aktiv zu wählen – um aus ihr eine gemeinsame Zukunft zu entwerfen.
3. Der „verwurzelte Kosmopolitismus“
Appiah, selbst ein Grenzgänger zwischen Ghana, Großbritannien und den USA, erkennt in Du Bois einen geistigen Verwandten. Er zeigt, dass man zugleich überzeugter Panafrikanist und Kosmopolit sein kann. Die „Lines of Descent“ sind bei Du Bois keine Fesseln, sondern Orientierungslinien: Sie reichen zurück bis nach Kemet, führen aber ebenso durch die Metropolen der Moderne. Zugehörigkeit und Weltoffenheit erscheinen nicht als Gegensätze, sondern als produktive Spannung.
„Lines of Descent“ ist das Buch für alle, die begreifen wollen, dass der Panafrikanismus kein starrer Monolith, sondern ein lebendiger, widersprüchlicher Dialog ist. Mit Eleganz und intellektuellem Witz zeigt Appiah, dass Du Bois’ Denken gerade deshalb so wirkmächtig war, weil es die Trümmer europäischer Philosophie – man hört Heiner Müller leise mitsprechen – nicht beklagte, sondern zu einem neuen Fundament afrikanischer Selbstbehauptung verschmolz.
September 26, 2021
As an Appiah stan I was pleased to see his usual combination of clarity and poetic prose on display in this short and very readable book. A quick look at the detailed notes easily demonstrates that Appiah wears his learning lightly, guiding us through the argument without burying us in detailed scholarship.
The book itself is a relatively straight-forward account of the German thought as Du Bois experienced it. If you know who Gustav Schmoller is or are familiar with the term 'bildung', then there will not be a lot new for you in this volume. It is, however, an enjoyable refresher regarding these themes which ably connects them with Du Bois's writing.
If you are interested in Du Bois and haven't heard of bildung, I'd _definitely_ recommend it.
The last sections of the book sketch out Appiah's theory of identity. I felt a little chagrined to see him reinvent the wheel since so many of us in social science have already figured this stuff out already. But of course it's foolish to argue with people you disagree with, and I think Appiah's account is basically correct, even if it is not originally his own.
Overall, very good. Recommend, especially if you are a Du Bois person looking for background on his early influences.
The book itself is a relatively straight-forward account of the German thought as Du Bois experienced it. If you know who Gustav Schmoller is or are familiar with the term 'bildung', then there will not be a lot new for you in this volume. It is, however, an enjoyable refresher regarding these themes which ably connects them with Du Bois's writing.
If you are interested in Du Bois and haven't heard of bildung, I'd _definitely_ recommend it.
The last sections of the book sketch out Appiah's theory of identity. I felt a little chagrined to see him reinvent the wheel since so many of us in social science have already figured this stuff out already. But of course it's foolish to argue with people you disagree with, and I think Appiah's account is basically correct, even if it is not originally his own.
Overall, very good. Recommend, especially if you are a Du Bois person looking for background on his early influences.
July 27, 2017
A good intellectual history of Du Bois's development as a thinker, implicitly applying Appiah's general ideas about rooted cosmopolitanism to Du Bois to think through his status as a cosmopolitan intellectual firmly declaring his commitment to an African American identity
August 1, 2017
A lot to digest.
October 26, 2021
Didn't know anything about Du Bois, so interesting first look.
February 6, 2021
An excellent and targeted intellectual biography. Appiah concentrates on Du Bois's training at Harvard and Berlin, showing the influence of the scholars under whom he studied had on his later thought. As should be expected of a short book that began as a series of lectures, Appiah focuses on Du Bois's approach to the question of identity (one of Appiah's own central interests). The book puts him in the center of an intellectual stream rather than treating him as purely self-grown.
October 24, 2014
A fantastic charting of the education and influences that shaped the intellectual and philosophical development of W.E.B. Du Bois. The men who shaped his thinking about race were towering figures, each an inspiration in himself (sadly, all men but those were the times). The book leads you to want to go deeper into the writing of Du Bois but also to seek out the writings of the great teachers who influenced him. The early chapters are a wonderful setup for the last two which tie everything together and make you consider the journey of your own development and who are those mentors on whose shoulders you will stand higher than you could ever stand alone. This book challenged me to reflect more deeply on the meaning of my own life and how it ties in with society and the greater culture and movements around me. Furthermore, I want to seek out the works of the author, Kwame Anthony Appiah's, writings on Cosmopolitanism and Honor. I really loved and was moved by the exploration of Du Bois' relationship to his identity as a black man and his search for an uplifting story of what would be the 'spiritual gift' his people had to bestow on all the people's of the world. Beautiful stuff. The kind of book you immediately want to read again from cover to cover before running out and obtaining the works of the thinkers that fill its pages.
December 20, 2014
Fantastic read, beautifully written, intimate and illuminating. I found myself underlining, folding corners and writing in the margins, something I rarely do. Highly recommend for anyone interested in questions of identity or interested in the fascinating life of Du Bois.
July 3, 2015
This book revolutionized my take on DBois. The descriptions of Herder, Hegel and the 19th century Berlin professors he studied with offers a unique perspective. Brilliant book. Inspired me to re read Souls of Black Folk.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews