Alcohol: A Social and Cultural History

Description

Why are we so ambivalent about alcohol? Torn between our love of a drink and the need to restrict, or even prohibit, alcohol? How did saloon culture arise in the United States? Why did wine become such a ubiquitous part of French culture? Alcohol: A Social and Cultural History examines these questions and many more as it considers how drink has evolved in its functions and uses from the late Middle Ages to the present day in the West. Alcohol has long played an important role in societies throughout history, and understanding its consumption can reveal a great deal about a culture. This book discusses a range of issues, including domestic versus recreational use, the history of alcoholism, and the relationship between alcohol and violence, religion, sexuality, and medicine. It looks at how certain forms of alcohol speak about class, gender, and place. Drawing on examples from Europe, North America, and Australia, this book provides a comprehensive history of the role of alcohol over the past five centuries.

Mack Holt is Professor of History at George Mason University.

'In their exploration of these meanings [of alcohol in a specific place at a specific time], the authors shed light on the power relations underlying shifts in alcohol consumption patterns and the tensions that often arise between groups with conflicting vested interest.' Yoon Hui Kim, Journal of Biosocial Science 'A simple, lucid yet interesting volume that is bound to keep you reading ... Overall this is a light-mood, good times, effortless-reading compilation and a lot like a dessert.' Internet Journal of Book Reviews