Sociology & Anthropology

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Department Overview

Sociologists and anthropologists study the social structures that create order and meaning in human societies and cultures as well as the pressures and contradictions that produce patterns of conflict and change. Complex social issues such as globalization, nationalism, race relations, social movements, and social inequalities are the focus of Swarthmore's Sociology and Anthropology Department. Students explore these themes in the classroom and through fieldwork and independent research.

At Swarthmore, we view sociology and anthropology as disciplines engaged in a common intellectual task. Sociology and anthropology analyze individual experiences and connect them to larger social issues. The disciplines illustrate how matters that are often perceived as "personal problems" are actually consequences of social structures, including the gender, ethnic, or racial dynamics of society. The goal of sociology and anthropology is not merely to acquire knowledge about different societies, but also to critically engage with the complexities of social life. Understanding the dynamics of society is also one of the first steps toward social change.

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Reuben Kadushin '25, 'Black Folk, Then and Now and the Late Du Bois’ Marxist Dialectic'

Article published in Science & Society

This paper seeks to examine Du Bois’ positive engagement with the Marxist dialectical categories that are the corner-stone of the politico-philosophical tradition, as in Berteli Oilman's Dance of The Dialectic and Fredrich Engels’ Anti-Duhring. Du Bois’ relationship to Marxism remains downplayed and understudied due to anti-communist historiography and postmodernist interpretations. W. E. B. Du Bois’ 1939 work Black Folk, Then and Now demonstrates the centrality of Marxist dialectics to his work, clarifying his philosophical and historiographical development after completing Black Reconstruction. This abstract and philosophical reading of Black Folk, Then and Now reveals not merely that the late Du Bois’ radicalism can be categorized as Marxian but also that his late works cannot be understood without an understanding of Marxist political economy and philosophy, revealing that Black Folk, Then and Now is a centerpiece of the scholar-activist's intellectual development.

'Black Folk, Then and Now and the Late Du Bois’ Marxist Dialectic'

Global Colorism

A brief description of the website/project created by Prof Edlin Veras' F2022 Global Colorism class/students

Visit the Global Colorism Website
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