Dark Princess (1928)

Dark Princess, written by sociologist W. E. B. Du Bois in 1928, and entered the United States public domain in 2024, is one of five historical novels. Considered one of his favorite works, the novel explores themes of double consciousness, racial solidarity, and romance as a form of double meaning. Through its blending of romance, fiction, and realism, Du Bois examines historical experiences in a way that the non-fiction genre does not allow. The lives of the characters in the novel, every success, failure, or heartbreak, were created to correlate with real historical events. The novel received mixed reactions from both early and modern-day readers. It was often recognized for how it distinguished itself from Du Bois's early works.

Historical contexts

Some critics believe that the book was inspired by the 1911 First Universal Races Congress in London, which Du Bois had attended. In developing the character of Kautilya, Du Bois has been discussed as possibly drawing inspiration from a few historical figures. Scholars have speculated that these may include an unnamed Indian princess at the Universal Races Congress, the Indian independence activist Bhikaji Cama, and the Pan-African Congress organizer Ida Gibbs Hunt, wife of diplomat William Henry Hunt.

Late in life, Du Bois described this as his favorite work.

Plot

Dark Princess has a total of four chapters: "The Exile," "The Pullman Porter," "The Chicago Politician," and "The Maharaja of Bwodphur". The novel opens in New York in 1923, with an African American man named Matthew Townes, a junior in medical school at the University of Manhattan, studying to become an obstetrician. Townes receives news that not only is he barred from pursuing his career aspirations, but he is also prevented from completing his academic studies. The dean of the institution claims that his status as an African American man disqualifies him from completing required courses at a white obstetrics hospital, where he would be caring for white female patients.

Out of frustration and anger, Townes sails out with no destination in mind, fleeing from the injustice and racism of America. He arrives in Germany, where he meets Princess Kautilya of Bwodpur, India, daughter of a Maharajah. They share a moment of vulnerability after being met with the same experience of racism in Berlin as Matthew did in America. She reassures Towns of the importance of the history of people of color in the world, and of their presence and impact of their beauty worldwide. The Princess takes him from his dreary American world with its strict binary divide by race. She introduces him to a vibrant world of prominent world leaders of color, while acknowledging some with a negative influence on the progress of blacks in the United States.

The relationship between Townes and the princess develops; she bears his child, who by birthright is the Maharajah of Bwodpur. Townes had not thought it possible that an African American man might have such a connection to royalty.

Major themes

Double Consciousness

The philosophical concept of double consciousness, derived from the idea of psychic duality, describes the internal conflict experienced by African Americans as they navigate external perception with self-perception. Scholar James Stewart describes it as a tension between opposing societal demands and expectations.

In Dark Princess, W. E. B. Du Bois utilizes his protagonist, Matthew Towns, to explore and articulate this experience. Early in the novel, Matthew Towns believes that "prejudice was a miasma that character burned away", reflecting confidence in meritocracy and individual success. However, despite being educated and hardworking, an embodiment of what the "ideal American" should exhibit, he was denied admission to continuing medical school due to racial discrimination and systemic barriers. This experience prompts Matthew Towns’ shift in perspective: now aware of African Americans’ racial reality, he begins to question his own beliefs. This realization highlights the beginning of Matthew Towns’ double consciousness emerging, reconciling his previous belief that an individual’s merits can overcome racial inequality.

Racial Solidarity

Du Bois explores racial solidarity as both a global and psychological concept. Internationally, Dark Princess connects African American identity to the "darker world," solidifying African Americans within the global network of colonized peoples working to resist Western imperialism.

After his self-exile from the United States, Matthew Towns meets Princess Kautilya of Bwodpur, India. Upon their introduction at a cafe in Berlin, Matthew and Kautilya converse about American racism and Matthew’s personal experience with discrimination, prompting his introduction to "a great committee of the darker peoples; of those who suffer under the arrogance and tyranny of the white world." This group consisted of individuals from India, China, Egypt, and Arabia, symbolizing a unification of non-white nations’ shared experiences of racial oppression and resistance.

Simultaneously, James Stewart further explains Du Bois’s idea that racial solidarity is tied to individual identity and group pride through the psychological profile of the "race man," someone who remains connected to their culture and works for the uplift and progression of their people. Du Bois connects these ideals, revealing that racial solidarity functions as both a global alliance and the foundation for identity.