In this course we will explore how 10 common food stuffs have affected history. We will look for example at how the history of sugar was not 'sweet' and how its production is linked to the growth of the slave trade and the expansion of the British Empire, and its use/misuse since then, We will also be focusing on the role of other foods such as Gin, Coffee, Tea, Potatoes and Spices some of which provoked wars and also caused profound changes in our social, political and economic lives and how echoes of these changes are still influencing us to this day.
Course aim
This course will focus on 10 common food stuffs and explore how these affected history at the time and to the present day.
Do I need any particular skills or experience?
- All levels of knowledge welcome
By the end of the course I should be able to:
- Be able to describe how sugar is linked to the expansion of the slave trade and the growth of the British Empire
- Have a basic understanding of how gin caused profound social changes in the eighteenth century
- Be able to describe how potatoes change eating habits from the eighteenth century onwards
- To have a basic understanding of how tea is connected to the Chinese Opium Wars of the 1840s
What else do I need to know?
View full course information sheet
