ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that much of the academic work of W.E.B. DuBois is of great importance to one’s understanding of economic phenomena affecting African American communities, and remaining relevant to debates in economic history. Including DuBois in the history of American economic thought may appear to be a stretch, given that he is generally considered a sociologist and a historian. His methodology, particularly in the Philadelphia Negro, brings insight into issues affecting African American communities that is often lacking in many economic analyses. He has been depicted as a pioneer in empirical sociology and his work is also heavily cited by historians of the black experience in the United States. Of course, it can easily be argued that DuBois's methodology, particularly in The Philadelphia Negro, is more relevant to sociology than to economics. The case study approach is rarely used in economics, although economic historians often relish sorting through old archival data, as did DuBois.
