Cartography of Hope: W.E.B. Du Bois on “Racial Feeling” and Japan in World History

Join the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy as Takashi Fujitani delivers his presentation on W.E.B. Du Bois’ position in Japanese history.

W.E.B. Du Bois, the great historian, sociologist, novelist, and acute observer of global affairs, is widely recognized as one of the most prolific Black writers on Asia of the twentieth century.

Yet even the most sympathetic of Du Bois’ followers have acknowledged the troubling truth that during the critical period of the Asia Pacific War (1931-45) Du Bois hesitated to censure the Japanese empire, at times even explicitly affirming its official propaganda. While most scholars who have commented on this understudied topic have blamed Du Bois’ over-investment in the racial ties among peoples of color, this presentation argues that his decisions were overdetermined by a number of factors that played into what he called “racial feeling.” These included his materialist understanding of the ties between race as an effect, capitalism, war, and imperialism.

Takashi Fujitani is the Dr. David Chu Chair in Asia Pacific Studies, Emeritus at the University of Toronto.