Flashcards for:
W.E.B. Du Bois, The Color Line, and Urban Sociology

Segregation levels increased rapidly during the Great Migration and peaked in the 1970s. Although there has been a gradual decrease due to factors like gentrification and changes in mortgage lending, segregation remains high in many American cities.

Du Bois's empirical studies, particularly 'The Philadelphia Negro,' helped establish the field of urban sociology by linking social issues to spatial patterns and conditions.

Neighborhood associations and real estate boards enforced segregation through policies and practices that prevented African Americans from moving into predominantly white neighborhoods.

The Dissimilarity Index measures the evenness of distribution of minority and majority groups across neighborhoods within an urban area.

Du Bois defined race as a concept determined by common history, language, and traditions, emphasizing its social construction rather than biological determinants.

Du Bois identified significant educational disparities, noting differences in bachelor's degree attainment among racial groups which contribute to broader social and economic inequalities.

Double consciousness is the psychological dualism that African Americans experience, where they have to reconcile their African heritage with the European-dominated American society.

Government policies such as redlining by the HOLC and FHA mortgage practices enforced racial segregation by restricting home loans for black Americans, leading to the creation of predominantly white suburbs and black inner-city areas.

The color line refers to the persistent racial inequalities and segregation in the United States.

American cities exhibit higher levels of segregation compared to European cities, with significant contrasts observed between liberal (Anglo) cities and Social Democratic (Scandinavian) cities.

Du Bois highlighted the large disparities in wealth between white and black households, particularly focusing on home ownership disparities over the last 150 years.

'The Philadelphia Negro' studied racial segregation in Philadelphia’s Seventh Ward and was groundbreaking for its use of color mapping in urban sociology, providing empirical evidence of segregation’s impact on African Americans.

The Chicago School's Urban Ecology theory posits that cities grow in a concentric pattern with competition for urban space leading to social-spatial order.

Du Bois’s work remains relevant for highlighting ongoing issues of racial segregation and inequality, influencing the study and understanding of these issues within urban sociology.

Context effects refer to the impacts of neighborhood environments on individual outcomes, where residents of segregated areas often experience higher rates of educational and labor market disadvantages.