Essay On W. E. B. Dubois And Jane Addams

To begin examining social problems in the early twentieth-century, sociologists often used newer qualitative research methods such as ethnographies, long interviews and content analysis. They also used stats, maps, and occupation studies. These methods were all used to study social problems, such as, crime, mortality, and sin. W.E.B. DuBois and Jane Addams were very influential individuals when it came to including more qualitative forms of research into studies.
W.E.B. DuBois is best known for his major contribution to sociology of examining non-white individuals in a non-racist way for the first time in history, in the large city of Philadelphia. DuBois' research was carried out by using both quantitative and qualitative methods, such as interviewing individuals in the …show more content…
The goal of this traditional view of assimilation was you essentially had to forget everything that defined your old culture and adopt all American values. This included no longer speaking your native language and adopting an American name. This concerned immigrants, as they did not want their children to lose sight of their culture. Assimilation is not always a positive thing. Since immigrants are expected to assimilate and adjust to this entirely new lifestyle quickly, this can cause them to be seen as the "other" if they retain their birth name or if their accent does not disappear quickly. DuBois was also concerned that if these individuals assimilated too quickly, there would be a loss of black pride in African American communities. The methods that DuBois implemented in his examination of the Seventh Ward are similar to those still used in sociology today, but differs as DuBois did not focus as much on intersectionality as prevailing approaches do. This is justified, as DuBois spent his life trying to get African Americans to be recognized as