New survey measures make double consciousness testable in studies of Black Americans

New survey measures make double consciousness testable in studies of Black Americans Sadie Harley Scientific Editor Andrew Zinin Chief Editor W.E.B. Du Bois' standing as a distinguished social scientist, with a distinguished body of work, has been subjected to the same marginalizing forces he examined in his pioneering scholarship on race, culture and Black social thought. "That includes his theory of double consciousness, arguably Du Bois' most important contribution toward understanding the Black experience in America," says Quintin Gorman Jr., Ph.D., an assistant professor of sociology and criminology at the University at Buffalo. Gorman and coauthors Tony N. Brown, Ph.D., distinguished professor of sociology at Rice University, and Frederick L. Oswald, Ph.D., a professor in UC Irvine's School of Education, have reanimated Du Bois' groundbreaking theory, making it empirically testable by developing multiple-item survey measures to capture the ideas central to double consciousness. "This work for the first time allows us to conduct quantitative analyses of the Black experience in the United States with survey measures based directly on Du Bois' theory," says Gorman. "There's an even broader value because our measures are not limited to the U.S. context. The scales can be adjusted and translated to look at specific populations cross-nationally." Their paper detailing the development and validation of these measures was published online in the journal Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race. Double consciousness, which Du Bois introduced in 1897 and republished six years later in "The Souls of Black Folk," operates through three constructs. First is the veil. The veil speaks to the historical segregation of Black Americans that permeates the entire lived experience. On one side of the veil is the promise of citizenship. On the other side is the reality of an unfulfilled promise. The veil creates the second construct, called second sight, a perspective Black Americans gain through experiencing both sides of the veil, often by living on one side but working on the other. The veil and second sight are responsible for the third construct, an internal tension, a "two-ness" felt by Black Americans, who must view themselves both introspectively and outwardly through the perceptions of a white majority. That "two-ness" stirs a conflict between racial identity and national identity. Through an exhaustive search of articles and studies, the researchers identified six quantitative studies mentioning and measuring double consciousness, which displayed various shortcomings, according to Gorman. "Our study introduces the means to accurately capture the perceived veil, second sight and two-ness in Du Bois' theory of double consciousness," says Gorman. "Measuring these constructs is essential for understanding the color line and its consequences for Blacks and the Black community today, providing new insights on how they affect physical health, life expectancy, school achievement and psychological well-being." Gorman and his coauthors began developing their measures by comprehensively reviewing Du Bois' original writings to arrive at an initial set of survey questions. Those questions were shared with experts in sociology, psychology and political science, whose feedback informed the final set of measures. Gorman says actual implementation is the next step, which is already underway. "We view these measures as complementary to existing research on double consciousness and Du Boisian sociology," he says. "It's part of an effort that we hope will benefit the entire field." More information Quintin Gorman et al., W. E. B. Du Bois's Theory of Double Consciousness, Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race (2026). DOI: 10.1017/s1742058x26100216 Provided by University at Buffalo