Final answer:
W.E.B. Du Bois coined 'double consciousness' in 1897 to describe the felt 'twoness' of African-Americans, explored in his seminal work 'The Souls of Black Folk'. He analyzed racial identity and self-perception in Black America, leading civil rights efforts, and co-founding the NAACP.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term double consciousness was coined by W.E.B. Du Bois in 1897 to describe the internal conflict experienced by subordinated or colonized groups in an oppressive society. It refers to the sense of looking at oneself through the eyes of a dominant or oppressor group and experiencing oneself as both an African and an American, feeling the 'twoness' of being an African-American. In his work The Souls of Black Folk, Du Bois discusses this concept, emphasizing the struggle for racial identity and the viewing of one's culture through racists' eyes, which leads to a negative self-perception. Furthermore, Du Bois's sociological investigations shed light on these issues, and he became a leading figure in civil rights movements, co-founding the NAACP and contributing significantly to the Harlem Renaissance, before eventually moving to Ghana.