Lines of Descent: W.E.B. Du Bois and the Emergence of Identity

Appiah's brief but wide-ranging intellectual history derives from his Du Bois Lectures delivered at Harvard University in 2010, as well his expansive reading in Africana Studies and his own two books specific to this topic: The formative German years thus highlight what Appiah argues are the principal themes of Du Bois' conceptual projects regarding "Culture and Cosmopolitanism": his lyric evocations of black history and identity as touchstones for race pride and civil rights activism, as well as his thinking beyond "blood and belonging" toward the expansive ideals of citizenship in the world and human rights. Currently, he is co-editor of the book series "The African American Intellectual Heritage" published by the University of Notre Dame Press.