This course will discuss tea as a symbol illustrating the development of three interdependent phenomena in the Long Eighteenth Century (1660-1830): the development of the British Empire, with the creation of colonies in the Americas and in Asia, affecting local peoples and the environment; the rise of mercantilism and global trade, with tea becoming the first true global commodity; and the increasingly codified culture of civility, as tea was a class and gender marker in civil conversation, along with coffee. Tea is more than a hot drink: it is an essential component of the British way of life, capable of provoking the American Revolution in the West and two opium wars in the East. Using tea as a common thread, this course will introduce students to cultural, intellectual, economic and material history.
This source-based course builds on the skills acquired in the previous semesters and aims to develop students’ ability to analyze and critically assess primary and secondary sources. It introduces students to cultural, intellectual and material history.
[Illustration: [Richard Collins], A Family of Three at Tea, c. 1727. Oil Painting. Victoria & Albert Museum. Accession number P.9&:1-1934.]
Bibliography / resources
- Ellis, Markman. The Coffee-House: A Cultural History. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2011.
- Ellis, Markman, Richard Coulton, and Matthew Mauger. Empire of Tea: The Asian Leaf That Conquered the World. London: Reaktion Books, 2015.
- Harvey, Karen, ed. History and Material Culture: A Student’s Guide to Approaching Alternative Sources. New York: Routledge, 2017.
- King, Melanie. Tea, Coffee & Chocolate: How We Fell in Love with Caffeine. Oxford: Bodleian Library, 2015.
- Moxham, Roy. Tea: Addiction, Exploitation and Empire. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2003.
- Rappaport, Erika. A Thirst for Empire: How Tea Shaped the Modern World. Princeton, Princeton University Press, 2017.
Other resources
- BBC Radio 4, “In Our Time”, episode on Tea: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p004y24y
- BBC Radio 4, “In Our Time”, episode on Coffee: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000c4x1
- BBC Radio 4, “In Our Time”, episode on The East India Company: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0054906
- BBC Radio 4, “In Our Time”, episode on The Dutch East India Company: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b071vl2l
- BBC Radio 4, “In Our Time”, episode on The Opium Wars: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00776k9
- BBC Radio 4, “A History of the World in 100 Objects”, episode on Early Victorian tea set: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00v71qr
Course material and requirements
NOTE: because of the current health crisis, I will not be able to offer a different tea every morning as initially planned.
A brochure or texts will be distributed in class and/or posted online (Espace ‘Cours en ligne‘). Please use it (read it, annotate it) and bring it to class. Additional resources are added there as well as the semester progresses.
This is a work-intensive course. I will expect you to have read/listened to the material listed in the syllabus before each class. Everyone will be expected to participate in class discussions, even those who do not enjoy speaking up! You cannot learn effectively without reading and listening to the material, or without actively participating in class or asking questions. Trust me.
Course schedule
1. Week 1: 16 Sept.
Introduction: Tea as a symbol of Great Britain
Week 2: 23 Sept.
Mercantilism and Global Trade: The rise of the East India Company (aka Empire)
Week 3: 30 Sept.
A culture of civility: Coffee houses, the press and politics (aka Revolution)
Week 4: 7 Oct.
Building an Empire: From the Indian sub-continent to the Opium Wars (aka Smuggling and Corruption)
Week 5: 14 Oct.
A culture of civility: Gender wars, civil conversation, the body (aka Addiction and Polite Society)
Week 6: 21 Oct.
Material culture: Teapots, tea caddies, chinaware…
Week 7: 28 Oct.
A Storm in a Teacup: The Tea Party and the American Revolution (aka Taxation)
Week 8: 4 Nov.
Mid-term Break
A RENDRE avant la séance de la rentrée (12 nov.): une vidéo (3-7 min.) où vous vous filmez (tout du long ou en partie) pour parler d’un type de thé de votre choix. Il faut présenter et justifier votre choix, et montrer en quoi ce thé a un rapport avec le cours (il apporte un éclairage particulier sur un aspect historique ou culturel, il fournit un contraste avec la période étudiée en cours, etc.). Votre explication doit être en anglais.
Week 9: 11 Nov. – PUBLIC HOLIDAY
Week 10: 18 Nov. – CLASS RESCHEDULED Dec. 6
Week 11: 25 Nov.
The case of Assam tea: Indentured servitude and environmental changes
Week 12: 2 Dec.
Document analysis
Week 13a: TUESDAY 6 Dec., 8-10h
Document analysis
Week 13b: 9 Dec.
Reading week [no class]
Week 14: 16 Dec.
FINALS
Modalités de contrôle
Formule standard session 1: Contrôle continu : une vidéo de 5-7mn à mi-parcours (commentaire historique et culturel) 40%, un devoir écrit de 2h en fin de semestre (commentaire de document historique) 50%, participation (préparation de textes, fiches de lecture, prise de parole, etc. tout au long du semestre) 10%.
Des conseils vous seront donnés pour faire votre vidéo sur la page du cours en ligne.
· Formule dérogatoire session 1 : 1 devoir écrit de 2h (commentaire de texte).
· Session 2 : 1 devoir écrit de 2h (commentaire de texte).