Fish into Wine: The Historical Anthropology of Demand for Alcohol in Seventeenth-Century Newfoundland

A strong demand for alcohol and tobacco in seventeenth-century Newfoundland and throughout the North American fishing periphery is an example of the distinct role maritime communities played in the emergence of a consumer society. Exchange of these little luxuries served social and cultural as well...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Pope, Peter
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Les Publications Histoire sociale - Social History Inc. 1994
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hssh.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/hssh/article/view/16573
Description
Summary:A strong demand for alcohol and tobacco in seventeenth-century Newfoundland and throughout the North American fishing periphery is an example of the distinct role maritime communities played in the emergence of a consumer society. Exchange of these little luxuries served social and cultural as well as economic needs. Demand for red wines and brandy in particular reflected contemporary humoral theories about the human metabolism. In this period, distribution, no less than restriction, of alcohol can be seen as a form of social control. Au XVIIe siècle, à Terre-Neuve et dans la zone de pêche de l'Amérique du Nord, l'importante demande d'alcool et de tabac témoigne du rôle distinct que jouaient les collectivités maritimes dans l'apparition de la société de consommation. L'échange de ces petits luxes comblait les besoins sociaux, culturels et économiques. La demande de vins rouges et de brandy en particulier confirmait les théories contemporaines sur le métabolisme de l'homme. Il est possible de considérer la distribution comme la restriction de l'alcool à cette époque comme une forme de contrôle social.