In SimmelÆs ôThe Stranger,ö the sociologist proclaimed that identity was irrevocably linked to oneÆs state in society. The stranger is defined by his status as both a part of society and apart from it, both near and far, a contradiction that is an integral part of his essence. This contradiction has been felt by all minorities in society, who though they may form part of societyÆs fabric are nevertheless apart and the same, near and far from the norm. W.E.B Du Bois, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Anna Julia Cooper all believed that their identities were defined by their place in society, and that their status as outsiders within the confines of a shared society gave them a unique, and objective, perspective on the world.
W.E.B. Du Bois, in his landmark book The Souls of Black Folk, also believed that an individualÆs place in society defined their identity. In this case, he was referring to the black manÆs status as a marginalized member of societyùsomehow both Negro and American, separate but equal. Dubois struggles to find his identity, feeling the contradictory aspects of his status as a Negro and an American, with ôtwo thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark bodyö (DuBois, 7). It is only by bringing these two contradictions together that the Black man can salvage himself and forge a better and truer sense of identity: pierce the veil. But this struggle can end successfully, given the proper conditions.
Anna Julia Cooper was born a slave, and though she managed to turn her personal contradiction on its head as she went on to earn a PhD and author several books, that one fact defined her personality. She viewed her sex and race, and their interaction with society, as an opportunity rather than a burden, however. To Cooper, the long twin histories of oppression that daunted generations of women and blacks were in fact a blessing in disguise, because ôEverything to this rac...