Who discussed the concept of racial stigma and double consciousness among African Americans?

The concept of racial stigma and double consciousness was developed by W.E.B. Du Bois, who was a prominent African American sociologist and civil rights activist. Du Bois introduced the term "double consciousness" to describe the internal conflict experienced by people of African descent in a racially prejudiced society. He articulated how African Americans navigate their identity, simultaneously viewing themselves through their own perspective and through the lens of a society that often demeans and stigmatizes them.

Du Bois argued that this duality leads to a sense of internal conflict and alienation, as African Americans strive to reconcile their black identity with the oppressive societal pressures that seek to diminish it. His work was pivotal in laying the groundwork for understanding race relations in America and the psychological impact of racial discrimination.

In contrast, other scholars like Emile Durkheim, Robert Merton, and Karl Marx focused on different aspects of social theory and did not specifically address the complexities of racial identity and the unique experiences of African Americans as Du Bois did. While their contributions to sociology are significant in their own right, they do not align with the particular issues surrounding racial stigma and double consciousness that were central to Du Bois's work.