W.E.B. Du Boisâ€His Greatest Contributions to Sociology

W.E.B. Du Bois- His Greatest Contributions to Sociology Renowned sociologist, race scholar, and activist William Edward Burghardt du Bois was born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts on February 23, 1868. He lived to be 95 years old, and during the course of his long life authored multiple books that are still deeply important to the study of sociology- in particular, how sociologists study  race and racism. Du Bois is regarded as one of the founders of the discipline, along with Karl Marx, Émile Durkheim, Max Weber, and Harriet Martineau. Du Bois was the first Black man to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard University. He was also one of the founders of the NAACP, and a leader at the forefront of the movement for Black civil rights in the U.S. Later in his life he was an activist for peace and opposed nuclear weapons, which made him a target of FBI harassment. Also a leader of the Pan-African movement, he moved to Ghana and renounced his U.S. citizenship in 1961. His body of work  inspired the creation of a critical journal of black politics, culture, and society called  Souls. His legacy is honored annually by  the American Sociological Association  with an award for a career of distinguished scholarship given in his name. Illustrating Structural Racism and Its Effects The Philadelphia Negro, published in  1896, is Du Boiss first major work. The study, considered one of the first examples of scientifically framed and conducted sociology, was based on over 2,500 in-person interviews systematically conducted with African American households in the seventh ward of Philadelphia from August 1896 through December 1897. In a first for sociology, Du Bois combined his research with census data to create visual illustrations of his findings in bar graphs. Through this combination of methods, he clearly illustrated the realities of racism and how it impacted the lives and opportunities of this community, providing much-needed evidence in the fight to disprove the supposed cultural and intellectual inferiority of black people. "Double-Consciousness" and "The Veil" The  Souls of Black Folk, published in  1903, is a widely-taught collection of essays that draws on Du Boiss own experience of growing up Black in a white nation to poignantly illustrate the psycho-socio affects of racism. In chapter 1 of this book, Du Bois put forth two concepts that have become staples of sociology and race theory: double-consciousness and the veil. Du Bois used the metaphor of the veil to describe how Black people see the world differently from whites, given how race and racism shape their experiences and interactions with others. Physically speaking, the veil can be understood as dark skin, which, in our society marks Black people as different from whites. Du Bois recounts first realizing the veils existence when a young white girl refused his greeting card in elementary school:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"It dawned upon me with certain suddenness that I was different from the others†¦ shut out from their world by a vast veil.† Du Bois asserted that the veil prevents Black people from having true self-consciousness, and instead forces them to have double-consciousness, wherein they have an understanding of themselves within their families and community, but also must view themselves through the eyes of others who see them as different and inferior. He wrote: It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at ones self through the eyes of others, of measuring ones soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. One ever feels his twoness,an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.   The full book, which addresses the need for reforms against racism and suggests how they might be achieved, is a short and readable 171 pages, and well worth a close read.   How Racism Prevents Critical Class Consciousness Among Workers Published in 1935,  Black Reconstruction in America, 1860-1880  uses historical evidence to illustrate how race and racism served the economic interests of capitalists in the Reconstruction-era southern U.S. By dividing workers by race  and fueling racism, the economic and political elite ensured that a unified class of laborers would not develop, which allowed for extreme economic exploitation of both Black and white workers. Importantly, this work is also an illustration of the economic struggle of newly freed slaves, and the roles they played in reconstructing the post-war south.

Adipose Tissue - Composition, Location and Function

Adipose Tissue - Composition, Location and Function Adipose tissue is a lipid storing type of loose connective tissue. Also called fat tissue, adipose is composed primarily of adipose cells or adipocytes. While adipose tissue can be found in a number of places in the body, it is found primarily beneath the skin. Adipose is also located between muscles and around internal organs, particularly those in the abdominal cavity. The energy stored as fat in adipose tissue is used as a fuel source by the body after the available energy acquired from carbohydrates is used up. In addition to storing fat, adipose tissue also produces endocrine hormones which regulate adipocyte activity and are necessary for the regulation of other vital bodily processes. Adipose tissue helps to cushion and protect organs, as well as insulate the body from heat loss. Key Takeaways: Adipose Tissue Adipose, or fat, tissue is loose connective tissue composed of fat cells known as adipocytes.Adipocytes contain lipid droplets of stored triglycerides. These cells swell as they store fat and shrink when the fat is used for energy.Adipose tissue helps to store energy in the form of fat, cushion internal organs, and insulate the body.There are three types of adipose tissue: white, brown, and beige adipose.White adipose stores energy and helps to insulate the body.Brown and beige adipose tissue burn energy and generate heat. Their color is derived from the abundance of blood vessels and mitochondria in the tissue.Adipose tissue also produces hormones, such as adiponectin, which help to burn fat and reduce body weight. Adipose Tissue Composition The majority of cells found in adipose tissue are adipocytes. Adipocytes contain droplets of stored fat (triglycerides) that can be used for energy. These cells swell or shrink depending on whether fat is being stored or used. Other types of cells that comprise adipose tissue include fibroblasts, white blood cells, nerves, and endothelial cells. Adipocytes are derived from precursor cells that develop into one of three types of adipose tissue: white adipose tissue, brown adipose tissue, or beige adipose tissue. The majority of adipose tissue in the body is white.  White adipose tissue stores energy and helps to insulate the body, while  brown adipose burns energy and generates heat.  Beige adipose is genetically different from both brown and white adipose, but burns calories to release energy like brown adipose. Beige fat cells also have the ability to boost their energy-burning capabilities in response to cold. Both brown and beige fat get their color from the abundance of blood vessels and presence of iron-containing mitochondria throughout the tissue. Mitochondria are cell organelles that convert energy into forms that are usable by the cell. Beige adipose can also be produced from white adipose cells. Adipose Tissue Location Adipose tissue is found in various places in the body. Some of these locations include the subcutaneous layer under the skin; around the heart, kidneys, and nerve tissue; in yellow bone marrow and breast tissue; and within the buttocks, thighs, and abdominal cavity. While white fat accumulates in these areas, brown fat is located in more specific areas of the body. In adults, small deposits of brown fat are found on the upper back, the side of the neck, the shoulder area, and along the spine. Infants have a greater percentage of brown fat than do adults. This fat can be found on most of the back region and is important for generating heat. Adipose Tissue Endocrine Function Adipose tissue acts as an endocrine system organ by generating hormones that influence metabolic activity in other organ systems. Some of the hormones produced by adipose cells influence sex hormone metabolism, blood pressure regulation, insulin sensitivity, fat storage and use, blood clotting, and cell signaling. A major function of adipose cells is to increase the bodys sensitivity to insulin, thereby protecting against obesity. Fat tissue produces the hormone adiponectin which acts on the brain to increase metabolism, promote the breakdown of fat, and increase energy use in muscles without affecting appetite. All of these actions help to reduce body weight and reduce the risk of developing conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Sources Adipose Tissue. You and Your Hormones, Society for Endocrinology, www.yourhormones.info/glands/adipose-tissue/.Stephens, Jacqueline M. The Fat Controller: Adipocyte Development. PLoS Biology, vol. 10, no. 11, 2012, doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001436.