Alcohol in World History

From the origins of drinking to the use and abuse of alcohol in the present day, this global historical study draws on approaches and research from biology, anthropology, sociology and psychology. Topics covered include: the impact of colonialism alcohol before the world economy industrialization and alcohol globalization, consumer society, and alcohol.Gina Hames argues that the production, trade, consumption, and regulation of alcohol have shaped virtually every civilization in numerous ways. It has perpetuated the development of both domestic and international trade; helped create identity and define religion; provided a tool for oppression as well as a tool for cultural and political resistance; and has supplied governments with essential revenues as well as a means of control over minority groups. Alcohol in World History is one of the first studies to pull together such a wide range of sources in order to compare the role of alcohol throughout time and across both western and non-western civilizations.

"Gina Hames has undertaken an extraordinarily ambitious and comprehensive survey of alcohol's place in global history. Alcohol in World History is a well-organized and highly readable study, one which should be of interest to general audiences and specialists alike. With engaging examples and careful analysis, Hames demonstrates the profound political, cultural, and economic impact of alcohol on world civilizations, from ancient societies to the twenty-first century." - Joseph F. Spillane, University of Florida, USA"Comprehensive and analytical ...well-balanced chronologically and geographically ... strong on indigenous peoples, on colonialism, and on gender ... based on wide and careful reading." - David Fahey, Miami University, USA"Readers coming at this book with a general interest will find much that is of use, and will undoubtedly come away thinking about alcohol as a mediator of social distinction and power... [It] should provide a good springboard for readers entering this comlpex and fascinating area." - Dr. Jamse Nicholls, Reviews in History

Gina Hames is an assistant professor at Pacific Lutheran University. Her research interests include alcohol and the creation of identity in early twentieth-century Bolivia and in late twentieth-and early twenty-first century United States