Article Category Taxonomy

This document defines the controlled vocabulary for categorizing W.E.B. Du Bois’s articles from The Crisis (1910-1934).

Category List

Civil Rights & Political Action

  • Lynching & Racial Violence - Anti-lynching campaigns, documentation of lynchings, mob violence, race riots
  • Voting Rights & Disenfranchisement - Suffrage, voter suppression, grandfather clauses, political participation
  • Segregation & Jim Crow - Jim Crow laws, residential segregation, public accommodations, railroad cars
  • Social Equality - Debates over social equality, interracial mixing, marriage laws
  • Law & Justice - Court cases, legal discrimination, the justice system, Supreme Court decisions

Organizations & Movements

  • NAACP Activities - NAACP organizing, branches, campaigns, internal affairs
  • Pan-Africanism & International - Pan-African Congresses, international solidarity, colonialism
  • Labor & Economics - Labor unions, strikes, economic conditions, employment, class struggle
  • Women’s Rights & Suffrage - Women’s suffrage, gender equality, women’s organizations

War & Migration

  • World War I - WWI service, discrimination in military, “Close Ranks,” Houston Mutiny
  • World War II - WWII era writings (1930s buildup)
  • Migration - The Great Migration, urban migration, demographic shifts

Education & Culture

  • Education & Schools - Public schools, colleges, educational policy, literacy
  • Arts & Culture - Literature, music, theater, Harlem Renaissance, art
  • Religion & Church - Black church, Christianity, religious leaders and institutions
  • The Crisis (magazine) - Meta-commentary about The Crisis itself

International Focus

  • Africa - African affairs, colonialism, independence movements
  • Haiti & Caribbean - Haitian affairs, Caribbean issues, U.S. occupation

Other Topics

  • Politics & Elections - Presidential elections, parties, political strategy
  • Health & Housing - Public health, housing conditions, living standards
  • Youth & Children - Children’s issues, youth organizing, education
  • Biography & Obituary - Profiles of individuals, death notices, biographical sketches

Usage Guidelines

Assigning Categories

  1. Primary Focus: Choose categories based on the article’s main topic, not every subject mentioned
  2. Quantity: Most articles should have 2-3 categories; 4 maximum
  3. Specificity: Choose the most specific applicable category
  4. Historical Context: Consider how Du Bois and his contemporaries would have framed the issue

Examples

“Crime and Lynching” (1912) - Lynching & Racial Violence - Law & Justice

“Close Ranks” (1918) - World War I - NAACP Activities

“Returning Soldiers” (1919) - World War I - Lynching & Racial Violence - Social Equality

“Criteria of Negro Art” (1926) - Arts & Culture - Social Equality

Auto-Categorization

Categories are assigned using the add_article_categories.py script:

# Test on 10 articles
uv run add_article_categories.py --dry-run --limit 10

# Categorize all articles
uv run add_article_categories.py --workers 10

Category Pages

Each category has its own browse page at browse/[category-slug].qmd that automatically filters articles with that category.