Themester

One of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century will be the focus of a discussion, “W.E.B. Du Bois: Black Identity and American Democracy,” on November 2. The author of such seminal works as The Souls of Black Folk and a co-founder of the NAACP, Du Bois was an intellectual pioneer who explored the issue of race in America in his scholarship, writing, and advocacy.  

Moderated by visiting assistant professor Dr. Michael Weinman, the panel discussion will discuss Du Bois’s work and his influence on identity today. 

"The central inspiration for this panel discussion is my conviction that W.E.B. Du Bois is the foremost thinker with whom to confront the questions about identity and identification that form the backbone of this year’s Themester,” said Dr. Weinman. “As soon as I saw the theme selected, I knew that I wanted to center my course on his work and bring to the IU community an event with world-class leading experts on Du Bois’s work, his life, and his legacy.” 

"Black Identity and American Democracy" examines the life and work of American sociologist and historian W.E.B. Du Bois, who analyzed the intersections between Black and African American identities, including during the Jim Crow Era and civil rights movements of the 1950s/1960s. Weinman says he looks forward to discussing the theme of "identity politics" and how it is used now in modern society, especially compared to Du Bois's earlier teachings.  

Featured guests at this panel discussion include Vann R. Newkirk II, a senior editor at The Atlantic Magazine and author of the introduction to the 2017 Restless Classics reissue of The Souls of Black Folk, Elvira Basevich, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at University of California, Davis and published poet, and IU’s own Walton Muyumba, Associate Professor of English and Susan D. Gubar Chair of Literature at Indiana University.  

"I am looking forward to investigating episodes like that in Du Bois’s corpus and how they resonate in today’s public discourse in all sorts of surprising ways," Dr. Weinman said. "All three presenters bring a commitment to and capacity for reaching a wide audience to this event."

This event is co-sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences Themester 2022 on Identity and Identification, the Media School, the Department of English, the Department of Philosophy, and the Department of Political Science.  

“W.E.B. Du Bois: Black Identity and American Democracy” takes place on Nov. 2 at Cook Center in Maxwell Hall. For more information about this event, visit Themester’s News + Events website.  

  

Plan Your Visit  

Parking and accessibility:

This event occurs at the Cook Center at Maxwell Hall. The Cook Center is located near downtown Bloomington.

• Downtown IU lots (free parking): These downtown-adjacent lots are free to anyone on weekday evenings after 5 p.m. and over the weekend.

Lot #404: Von Lee
Lot #412: corner of Fourth and Dunn streets
Lot #402: corner of Sixth and Dunn streets

• Accessible entrances: Visitors with limited mobility can enter Maxwell Hall via the ADA accessible entrance at the northwest corner of the building, across from the Frances Morgan Swain Student Building.

• Accessible parking: The nearest accessible parking is at Owen Hall.
  Some ADA parking is limited to those with IU permits. Please see the list of campus  lots with accessible parking spaces  for more information.