Connecting the Threads: Stratification Economics and the Political Economy of W.E.B. Du Bois

Abstract

This analysis expands previous research examining the origins of concepts and theoretical frameworks developed by Stratification Economics (SE) practitioners. Linkages between formulations developed by W.E.B. Du Bois and similar SE constructs are analyzed extending the previous recognition of the relevance of his scholarship for SE. Four specific elements of Du Bois's SE-related scholarship are interrogated: (1) Origins and Parameters of Racial Group Identity; (2) Class Differentiation; (3) Capitalism and Racial Stratification; and (4) Democracy and Racial Stratification. Du Bois's predictions regarding future important economic trends are shown to be relevant for guiding SE analyses of contemporary patterns of racial economic stratification. Reasons why Du Bois's scholarship has received limited attention within the Economics profession are discussed in the context of explaining why formalizing Du Bois's role as a SE progenitor is important for the ongoing development of SE.