W.E.B. Du Bois was a premier American sociologist, whose contributions to social theory strengthen the philosophies of Marx, Weber, and Durkheim. Du Bois studied formally in America and Germany, where Du Bois developed his core philosophies. By interjecting the issue of race into the prevailing sociological discourse, Du Bois showed how to apply concepts like structuralism, functionalism, identity formation, and systems of power to social problems. Concerned particularly with racism, Du Bois showed that racism serves a distinct sociological function and is embedded in social institutions. In particular, racism upholds social structures and institutions that perpetuate hierarchies and power imbalances. Thus, Du Bois revealed the intersections between race and power and encouraged the application of social theory to racial conflicts. Unlike Marx, Weber, or Durkheim, Du Bois grappled with issues related to racial identity formation and especially how to reconcile an American identity with an African one. This is why Du Bois opted for Ghanaian citizenship and spent the last years of his life there. Fundamentally, Du Bois's teachings and writings parallel the claims made by Marx, Weber, and Durkheim regarding the ways individuals behave in social systems, the centrality of power in social institutions, and how social systems as a whole perpetuate themselves, change, or die. Like Marx, Du Bois recognized the capitalism is an innately and inextricably exploitative system. Also like Marx, Du Bois understood that social class...
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