Germany, Alcohol, and the Global Nineteenth Century

This course examines the German "long nineteenth century" through the lens of the production, sale, and consumption of alcohol. The cultural resonance of alcohol allows us to better situate Germany in an increasingly global context, where its exchange reflected broader patterns of modernization, social transformation, and nationalism. Whether brewing beer in Chinese Tsingtao, harvesting grapes in California's Napa Valley, or celebrating Purim with wine in Palestine, Germans engaged the nineteenth-century world through their own historical traditions and trades. Our endeavors will be aided by the remarkable "Alcohol and Addiction Studies" special collections at the John Hay Library.