W.E.B. DU BOIS AND THE PHILIDELPHIA BLACK CHURCH: AN EARLY SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY

The Philadelphia Negro was first published in 1899. In this comprehensive sociological study of the quality of African American urban life, Du Bois included a section on the Black Church. This brief social study may be the earliest empirical study of religion conducted in the United States. Relying...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Michigan sociological review 2009-10, Vol.23, p.31
Main Author: Wortham, Robert A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activists
African Americans
Black studies
Catholic churches
Du Bois, W E B (1868-1963)
Sociology
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Summary:The Philadelphia Negro was first published in 1899. In this comprehensive sociological study of the quality of African American urban life, Du Bois included a section on the Black Church. This brief social study may be the earliest empirical study of religion conducted in the United States. Relying on available statistical data. Du Bois traced the development of Philadelphia's Black Church throughout the nineteenth century. Since several questions on religion were included in the survey schedules administered to the households comprising Philadelphia's Seventh Ward, Du Bois was also able to provide a detailed picture of the Black Church religious economy for Philadelphia's Seventh Ward for 1896. Reflections on the functions of the Black Church within African American community were addressed, and the association between religion and social class was underscored. Qualitative data were utilized to provide portraits of denominational life. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:1934-7111
2329-0889