Consuming Habits: Global and Historical Perspectives on How Cultures Define Drugs: Global and Historical Perspectives on How Cultures Define Drugs Second Edition

by Jordan Goodman (Editor), Paul E. Lovejoy (Editor), Andrew Sherratt (Editor)

Psychoactive substances have been central to the formation of civilizations, the definition of cultural identities, and the growth of the world economy. The labelling of these substances as 'legal' or 'illegal' has diverted attention away from understanding their important cultural and historical roles. This collection explores the rich analytical category of psychoactive substances from challenging historical and anthropological perspectives.

Covering a wide range of substances, including opium, cocaine, coffee, tobacco, kola, and betelnut, from prehistory to the present day, this new edition has been extensively updated, including an updated bibliography and two new chapters on cannabis and khat. Consuming Habits is the perfect companion for all those interested in how different cultures have defined drugs across the ages.

About the Author:
Jordan Goodman is an Honorary Research Fellow at the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL

About the Author:
Paul E. Lovejoy is Distinguished Research Professor at York University

About the Author:
Andrew Sherratt was Professor of Archaeology at the University of Sheffield

Genres: Drugs, History, Anthropology

304 pages, Paperback

First published June 29, 1995

About the author

Jordan Goodman has published extensively on the history of medicine and science, and on cultural and economic history. He is an Honorary Research Associate in the Department of Science and Technology Studies at University College London.

Reviews

[Johan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well composed anthology focusing on anthropological and historical perspectives regarding various psychoactive substances. A nice complement to Appadurai's The social life of things one could say.